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About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1900)
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, AUGUST 30, E. M. 300 (1900.) 4 ica, advocate the “open door” for the Chinese. Sauce for the goose The Only Paper of Its Kind. don’t seem to l>e sauce for the gander in every instance. I t’s just P u b lish ed W eekly by th e L iberal U n i- when both goose and gander are versity C om pany, in the In te re sts of Christians that they are entitled C o nstructive, Moral Secularism . to the same diet. H o w God’s peo- J. E. Hosmer,.....................Editor pie do love their enemies! P. W. Geer,.................... Manager There are no supernatural things. E n te red at th e postoffice a t S ilverton, The ideas of gods, holy ghosts, di- O regon, as second-class m ail m a tte r. vine sons, angels, heaven, hell and everything of the kind are relics of SUBSCRIPTION RATES. an ignorant past and now used One y ear, in a d v an c e .......................... $1 00 only by priests to fool their dupes, 50 ' Reader, if yon are still in the fog Six m o n th s in a d v an c e .................... 25 I T hree m onths, in a d v an c e ................ of mysticism, for the sake of Hu In clubs of five or m ore, one year, Torch of Reason Jesus. Poor John, we’ll help you all we can, but it is too late, we fear, to help you very much. May the Christians have mercy on your poor soul! — ............ HEATHEN, C IV IL IZ E D A N D SEM I- C IV IL IZED . ORTHODOX LAW . It seems that there is an ortho dox legal element, as well as an orthodox religious one in our coun try, who would kill the heathen to make them understand how we civ ilized people live up to law and order. Read the following from the Legal Adviser: We have heard it stated by “rad- ¡cals’’ that if the now desperate It is said that “technically” the Protestant churches were given the civilized powers are not at war power, they would persecute as re- with China. So, also, when sav ages on our territorial borders pro lentlessly as ever. This has seemed ceed to slaughter peaceful settlers rather radical to us, and we have and battalions of soldiers are sent asked ourselves if it is possible that to shoot the savages to death, it we Freethinkers would be “brought I may be said that “technically’’ we 75 m anity, fiee from the w rath th at on to our knees” if our opponents are not at war with them. No in advance.......................................... by registered declaration of war is issued. No M oney should læ sent again had absolute control of things. has been. Come to the light th at is. la tte r or m oney order. ambassador or other minister re- Science! Lately we begin to think that, al-| Ceives his passport. The savages though they may not know it them- are shot, nevertheless. So should Notice! selves, if they should get the it be in the case of these Asiatic The preachers who are so anxh power it would again appear to be savages. They are not entitled to A h a n d p ointing to th is notice denotes th a t y o u r su b scrip tio n has e x p ire d . ous for the “open door” in China their duty to “save the world for national recognition by the form You are e arn estly requested to re would do well to keep still until ality of a declaration of war. They Jesus at any cost,” as in the dark have forfeited all claim to any new so th a t you m ay receive th e p a per w ith o u t in te rru p tio n . We have d e “Nancy kills the bear” and then days of the past. We are not recognition whatever by a civilized cided th a t it is best for all concerned come in for their share of the plun prophets, but we feared that the power. They are entitled only to th a t we do no t send papers longer th a n der and glory, for if they continue th e tim e paid for unless so ordered. power of the Church is slowly V'6 8wifte8t POS8ible extermination This will prev en t any loss and we will to advocate war, people in this creeping upon us, and that it It is to be fervently hoped that a know ju st w here we sta n d . combined army of all the civilized We request you to send us th e nam es country may begin to think that would be well to be awake. J he nations—an army powerful enough of Secularists who m ight become suh- they (the preachers) are not trying flood of moral light that has been I to erase the so-calied Chinese em- scrilxirs and we will m ail sam ple copies. to follow him who said, “resist not sweeping away the old dogmas Pire from the map of the world— evil.” since the establishment of this Sec will proceed with all possible des T hursday , A ug . 30, E. M. 300. ular republic is being driven back patch in the righteous duty of exter minating these Asiatic savages, The “glad tidings of great joy” by the old spirit of the Crusades. and that America will be repre C H R IS T IA N W A R . that a Liberal University is now The dogmatic elements among the sented by an ample contingent of being built to teach the “New Re leaders of religious thought have soldiers in that army. “ Peace on e a rth ; good will tow ard m e n ,” ligion of Science and Humanity” is Bawl th e p riests when peace is w a n te d ; been losing their hold, and the You see it’s like this: When Chi B ut w hen pelf’s in sight, a h , th en flying all over the world. But few counteracting result is the break nese get mad and kill white men C h ristia n soldiers, all u n d a u n te d , as y e t fully understand what a T hink th a t peace we c a n ’t afford— ing away from the peaceful propa for their social, religious and Jesu s cam e to bring a sw ord. great movement toward higher and ganda work for their savior toward financial aggressions, it at once better things this is. Most Chris We read w ith h o rro r of days of yore, W hen th o u sa n d s died as God com tians think that we are evil and aggressive warfare. Of course, at brands the defenders of their sacred m anded, bottom the agents of God care no beliefs as Asiatic savages, and they W hen e a rth was filled w ith h e ath en gore are trying to destroy the good they T h a t C h ristia n creeds m ig h t not he have been doing, but the L. U. O. more for his glory than they did in are ours to rob, ravish and mur s tr a n d e d ; Elizabeth’s time, when religious der; but when Christian white men B ut R e aso n ’s to rch th ey could not has not come to destroy but to help fervor became an excuse to collect think they have a grievance against sm o th er, fulfill the brotherhood prophecies T h en how th ey loved th e ir h eath en money or rid the elite of a nuis the poor heathen, it is so easy to of the great Secular poets and sages b r o th e r ! ance. It is said that the collection put them to sleep and fix it all up of all ages. Let us he not afraid We learn how, by meek Jesu s sent, of tithes alone in those dark Pro by preaching Jesus and him cruci T he C atholic killed the Infidel, to labor that these prophecies may And how the axe of P ro te sta n t fied to the little China boys and be fulfilled, for, verily, this genera testant days cos* a million lives. Upon the necks of C atholics fell. But the vast untaxed church young maidens that are kept alive O, C h ristian zealots, read w ith sham e tion should not pass until the walls The crim es approved in J e s u s ’ name! of the New Heaven begin to be property, which compels us all to for God’s share of the plunder, that And w hen C olum bia hove in eight, pay our tithes in taxes, and the we at once become the holy am seen of all men. A shout of Freedom re n t th e a ir; large sums extorted from those who bassadors of God. B ut g en tle Je su s led th e fight And c arried su p e rstitio n th ere. still think that money will, in some Isn’t it true that the better classes The blue laws, m ade by “ th e e lite ,” The Liberal University has a way, help buy their everlasting of Chinese are intelligent, thrifty, Made h o n est m en and women weep. friend whom we are very much pardon for the Adam’s apple blun ingenious and kind? Do we, who “ Peace on e a r t h ,” th e preachers afraid will, with his family, be der, is not enough for the ever-in are so proud of our civilization, not p re a c h e d ; Boldly said th a t God insp ired them ; killed in China. He is the editor’s creasing army of preachers. They owe very much to these people? B ut all th in k e rs they im peached— H ung an d burned as if hell tired th e m . brother, and although he has many must have more! There are so Do they not love their wives and Bible ’sta b lish e d p rec ed e n t; faults like his Infidel relative, know many heretics in civilized countries children? And although their ways T h in k e r an d w itch to hades w en tl ing how bloodthirsty the Christian now, however, that the green-eyed are not our ways in many respects, B ut slowly gained th e brave and free, And creeds m u st seek a foreign land. boxers are when they think their monsters of superstition and greed should we murder them by the T h ey ’ve gone to tight th e poor Chinee God is with th e m , we fear that our have been held in check. But they thousands because some of them And m ake him see th e C h ristia n plan. poor brother will now surely meet now behold our helpless brothers are thought to have committed a The p ig ta il’s house m ust “ open d o o r,” O r “ hlow ee” hell from roof to floor. a brutal death at the hands of the across the great “American lake.” crime? Every intelligent human enraged Christians. Our brother’s There will those whom God has being killed, robs the world of some A red -h o t hell has l)een e a r th ’s lot, And e ’en today repeats th e sto ry ; name is John Chinaman. Poor chosen find ample room to cast thing that that human being could And fu tu re ages ’ll read th e plot He was born under un- their nets, and while our danger give. No two are the same, and by Of how th e C h ristia n s, for C h ris t’s John! glory, favorable circumstances. Being may be made less for a time, woe to exterminating vast numbers, who “ Took no prisoners in C hina lands, B ut dyed w ith blood th e ir guilty hands. marked with a yellow skin and the poor Chinese! They must now knows but the greatest of all sav- almond eyes, he has been hardened help support the church, learn of iors may not be among them? We The w orld is sick of selfish creeds— Of jealous gods and greedy m e n ; by the jests of the other hoys at Jesus and his love, see their child- cannot afford to lose a single intel It needs “ red e m p tio n ” from such deeds As gods and p riests e ’er recom m end. school, and many have thought ren hoodwinked or bribed into wor- ligent being from the earth. We We need “ conversion” of th e free that he has no conscience at all; shipping “other gods” than their should love, protect and help our To Science and H u m a n ity . but h is brother knows that he has; own, or be killed by the thousands, w’eaker brothers across the sea in j that h is heart is true and that he and that, too, by those who have stead of thirsting for their blood Many Christians who shout the loves his wife and babies as well as ! been teaching them that their God like wild beasts. If they have done loudest for closed doors iu Araer- those who have learned all aboutjsays: “Thou shall not kill!” wrong, there is a cause for it; and