Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 1900)
4 T H E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, S E P T E M B E R 6, E. M. 300 (1900.) T orch of F^CêlSOn rnan w^ ° would be benefited called Hell and their bird* of par- W here shall we go for help or a by their love and adoration; it if» adise are all ‘‘m ade up.” “ Bum,” sta rt in thinking? Su rely not to a The Only Paper of Its Kind. stu ltify in g ; it lakes m uch of their expresses the whole business. It's god, for we know, if we will be hon- valuable tim e in su p p o rtin g their a big thing, though, and the chil- est with ourselves, th a t we do not Published W eekly by th e Lil>eral U ni- royal pachyderm ; the thoughts of dren like it, and while they are know th a t there is one. We c a n ’t versity C om pany, in th e In te re sts of th e most devout m ust dwell alm ost young they m ust be entertained, very well look to any p articu lar C onstructive, Moral S ecularism . e n tire ly o n th e e le p h a n t— and what we suppose, or they will sow too great scientist, for we all differ so J. E. H osm er,........................Editor about Science, eduation, m orals, in- m any wild oats; but when the hu- much in regard to who is great and P W Geer M anager civilization? They are m an fam ily reaches its m ajority, it who is not. We c a n ’t consult our neglected, just in proportion lo tbe will be better delighted, enter wishes in the m atter, for certainly care bestowed upon tbe albinos* tained and saved from wild a desire to have a th in g true does E ntered a t th e postoffice at S ilverton, and if a w’orse «tale of things exists oat s o w in g by the exhibitions not help it to he really true. W hat Oregon, as second-class m ail m a tte r. in Siam Iban in America it is be- of science. We have nothing to shall we do? L et ’ s think for our - cause tbe Siam ese are more sincere say against a real, good, genuine s e l v e s ! SU B SC R IPTIO N R A T E S . than their white brothers are in circus. The exhibitions of physical But we can tell our thoughts, and One year, in advance...................... $100 their worship of the great white strength and suppleness show wha t thus, by assisting each other to Six m onths in a d v a n c e .................... 50 , __ , , . I , , , . 95 throne and the wonderful white can he done by constant practice, think, help discover the tru th ; and T hree m onths, in a d v a n c e ................ In clubs o f five or m ore, one year, elephant stabled there. The people and a good m enagerie is an here are a few thoughts of ours. 75 in advance Money should be sent * by registered " f 'h e ciyilized(?) world have b e -; e x c e lle d thing. It is of great Use them if you can: le tte r or m oney o rd er. come much like the R om ans were educational value. But the silly There is nothing ig in in the universe in the time of Nero. Not m any re- circus of C hristianity has al- excepting the m atter of which it is Notice! a'lv believed in the gods, yet m illions ways opposed everything of value m ade up, and of which it alw ays pretended to, and the result of this to m ankind through jealousy and has been m ade up. We can not A h a n d pointing to this notice denotes hypocrisy w as the downfall of the greed. put the finest point of a needle th a t vour su b scrip tio n h as e x p ire d . 1 r* . t \ Let us have more real circuses, anyw here but it comes in contact You are e arn estly req u e s|e d to re- " .n a n E m p ir e , new so th a t you m ay receive th e pa It has been said th at “ no nation exhibitions, m useum s, m enageries, with and pushes aside som ething— per w ith o u t in te rru p tio n . W e bave d e cided th a t it is t>est for all concerned ever outlives it religion.” But we libraries, schools, a rt galleries, ele oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, eth er— th a t we do no t send p ap ers longer th a n hope the United States, at least, vating contests and everything to alw ays som ething. All space is This will prev en t any loss and we will w ‘11 l,e a glorious exception; for make us more happy and enlight- filled “ chuck c ram ” full, and it know just w here we s ta n d . freedom of thought made it possible eued, hut let us, as fast as possible, m atters not how atten u ated or gas We request you to send us th e nam es , ... r & of Secularists who m ight become 8u b - , *°r o u r >rave ^o r e ^a “ put away childish th in g s” and eous a substance is, it is som ething, scriliers and we will m ail sam ple copies, a republic in which a num ber of not be so overjoyed to be no glori- Now this m atter is alw ays in mo men and women have been able to ouslv hum bugged, tion. One m anner of motion we think for them selves and not play call heat, another light, another T hursday , S e p t . 6, E . M. 300. tbe hypocrite either. If t hey save N E IT H E R D R U N K NOR F R IG H T - electricity, etc. W hen a certain the nation, it will be because they E N E I). kind of motion stops in a portion of SHORT, BUT SW E E T . have som ething better to “ put in the m atter, another kind of motion The following p arag rap h , from P^ace °f the ohl, false religion, and The idea of an im m ortality for alw ays takes its place; for no m at- the F reeth o u g ht M agazine, did us *s progressive, moral Secular individual life is what keeps up all ter is ever at rest. Changes are more good than eith er B rother ism —the Religion of Science and th e C h ristian ity , all the S p iritu al- always going on everyw here ! ism, all the 'I heosophy, and nearly, M atter, moving, causes other C arter or B rother Green m ight im H um anity. if not quite, all the superstition in changes in the su rro u n d in g m atter. agine: “ Thom as C arter of Idaho, in a private letter, writes, ‘Give the BIOGESr c ir c u s ON e a r t h , the world. We of the L. U. O. are Thus the whole universe of which Liberal, not only in the sense th a t we are a n art is in a continual Liberal U niversity a lift when you can. I sent inv two children over p ,tain natures are more s u s - , we are free from superstition, but change. One of these correlate there last term and shall send the influences of the we are also Liberal in the sense changes we call life. Tbe highest them ag ain .’ Brother C arter, that ghost than others, ju st like th a t we believe that all men should (because tbe most com plex) changes is w liat we are constantly doing, <e rtuin people are mote “ m edium- be protected in their right to th in k going on in tue world are in the and ever} Liberal ought to do the l>,IC* M e should not blam e pen- j for them selves. We are friends to hum an brain. These changes we p ie of o u r ¡im e for th is w eakness, wll and would fight for a C hristian call thought, m ind, or, if you choose, same. , nor condem n the holy or a S p iritu alist to have his right to soul or sp irit. After the brain - ... , . virgin, or m e past, w n en the won- his belief and worship; hut we are m aterial, four-fiftli9 of which is after m onth if we had no encour- derful i.ict of the th„ most n„,ui wonder- progressive * and . aggressive . in . that , , „ com- ~ , r u ijic tu ur.-« t« . ol composed , of „ th , a t w onderful ageraeut? But , our courage and fu l a a n n i im a ls a re i.ieim ^H i k . . : . . , . , . , , , , m a i s are pictnied on the wc Wlsh to save ourselves and pound of hydrogen and oxygen hope goes up 1 to th e to p n o tc h w h en w v a a lls h a m s ana and tentes, and t h e , everyone else i < -i conse- called ,, , water, , has changed . , 6 and . n ., narns from .c the evil W °v that T . i . e axe no s y The leaders of this holy bring about harmony of thought thinking. eaven to «how go on When the brain stops Mr. B arn u m ’s p b n and action would soon inaugurate seeing, seeing certain ly m ust stop; T hanks, B rother C arter and delighted w ill, things th at grown- B rother Green; you and others we Up people would not pay I wo cents Secular- s ■ would lil»e to m . ention .i i are ttza , n to SW* So, as long as our race is deh- u uoiue ^ y up ,,lad(. up chjWigh „,e„ — — ................. oi cntiats nition, and are helping to build an and women, we m ay expe?t t them “ E arthly P arad ise” in more ways to receive with great delig great d e lig h t the than one. holy ghost and other anim als which the ringm asters (th e preachers) ex TWO E L E P H A N T S . hihit. H o w delighted, too, are these children when the tum blers decked In Siam they alm ost worship the with spangles, etc., enter the ring! white elephant. How silly! It W liat a farce! The anim als which tak es th e ir th o n g t.ts aw ay from hu- ¡th e y claim are from a far-off region of the hum an race from the family of em pires to the m em bers of fam- ilies— it is very im p o rtan t th a t we , absolutely settle the m atter and all begin to work in harm ony on the tru th discovered. But how can we decide this m at- ier.’ Does death end all, or do we live on throughout et< rnity? Let us not be prejudiced either way, hut let us think and not be satis- fied with mere prejudicial belief (faith). rem em bering, judging an d reason- ing would be no soul a t all. Is n ’t this proof th a t we are dead after I our organs cease to perform their functions? If we have a wish U live after d eath, it is our “ sacred” duty to change the foolish desire to the better one of w anting to corn pletely live before death. The de- side for im m ortality causes us to be dead while we are yet alive. We can not fully live here while we are living in thought som ewhere else, and it is beyond our power of words