THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, SEPTEMBER 6, E. M. 300 (1900.)
to show the awful robbery th at has
cated with holy fear continually.
c '’en imagine, hut that can, by rea- have “ misconceived their teaching,
been com m itted by this chief of
How much better off the m an or 8on of said laws, only show the con- or he and they “ m ay have erred !”
m ental thieves—im m ortality
And when you come to think real
reckIessI>’ tin u a ' ion> confirm ation and en- He was m orally and intellectually
hard, d ear believing friend vou
k ° " alc° l'ol'c ePiri,H’ or hol>'
of the fac(s and laws al- bound to know before be began to
will not wish to liv e o o f ,
It I . ° P
hop” 1‘‘“’ >y frightened ready known.
teach. The “ Professor” who puts
will not wish to live on forever. It is
by superstition of any kind, counts
i®» therefore, unscientific and
him self in this hum iliating predica­
nothing to be desired. The fashion
as his brothers the civilized, the dem oralizing in the extrem e for a m ent is in no position to cast the
• • • « • la
T • a >
of desiring im m ortality is only a
semi-civilized, the savage am ong Liberal, “ reverend” or other, toen- stones of his wit and ridicule at the
long-draw n-out fad. To meet your
m en; yea, and all forms of l i f e - courage the notion that there are hum blest of his “ w ell-intentioned”
dead friends and relatives again is
one who is neither afraid of fire for “ actualities” or “ possibilities” of students. But if he has erred, the
not to be desired after all. Those
him self nor for his friends, but who the,universe which may ‘ hold up” great names he m entions give him
whom you m ay wish to meet are in
believes th at, if given half a chance,
laws to continue the post mor- neither exeuse nor refuge. Let us
better condition, in your m ind,
he and his friends are capable of tera consciousness of a m osquito or see as to them .
th an they m ight be after you had
m aking a heaveu out of the worst l ^ e im m ortal selfishness of m an.
Spencer was alw ays a growing
met. And what vyould you do after
hell the gods and their priests can u . mil bland ’ s “ energy ” deity m an and so risky to quote, b ut he
you had greeted them ? You could build.
A SPOOK.
covered this Deity business in his
not caress them , or sing, or plav, or
It is also a m atter of course th at, reply to B alfour, the last of his
work with them , or an y th in g you
Do the Rev. J. P. Bland’s “ Im in orde? to get a “ hold up” or works. Judge W aite, in “ H erbert
can think of, forever and ever, with
m ortality and D eity”
change in the processes and laws Spencer and H is C ritics” (C. V.
out its becoming m onotonous, unless
Really Exist?
of nature, so as to endow a m os­ W aite tfc Co., publishers, Chicago),
you could change at will. And if
quito with “ Im m o rtality ,” our rev­ pp. 56, 57, shows his evolution up
you could change whenever you
Continue«! from 3d page.
erend friend must cease to be a to this reply, where he finally drops
w ishtd, you would soon wish to do
Liberal, m ust become a Theologian, all anthropom orphism and dualism ,
th in g s th a t you could not do, and his ancient im agination
overhur- and invent a “ D eity,” which shall if any he had to drop, and reaches
thus would become u n h a p p y ; or, if dened by sentim ent.
be superior t«», and the “C reator” of the “ positive state of th o u g h t,”
infinite in power to change, you
To suppose otherwise is to he ig­ the universe. This he does right
using the term “ N atu re” to desig­
would be a god and there would norant of the consequences of the
handilv. But we respectfully sub- nate the “ U nknow able” or u ltim ate
probably he another war in heaven;
or, as a great ruler, you would lie- lat.on and equivalence of the ! old spook variety, and only ineffect- cause of things. N atu re is now the
come sick of a heavenly throne and changes i.e., forces of the universe. ' j Vely replaces the god Science has great artificer, and the philosopher
im m ortality and would long for a Each fact of correlation ,s the re- dethroned. He introduces the new deems it sufficient to study her
m anifestations.” Spencer gives not
heaven of rest.
suit of, and has back of or beside D ivinity thus: ‘-In ’Tne Gospel of the slightest countenance to the
And again, our m inds are at ease it,a n d could only take place as the E volution,’ as in other recently
notion th a t there can be an “ A ctu­
when accepting the scientific solu­ result of, the infinite correlations
published m atter of mine, on the a lity ” or “ D eity,” who created or
tion instead of the theological one. which have been. So, too, in the
Energy or Deity—call it w hat you can suspend or vary the laws and
The believer in im m ortality is the future, the correlations which suc-
will, the all reveals, I sim ply take processes of the universe.
one who is troubled w ith doubts. ceed it or accom pany it will be the the ground to popularise the views
H uxley and Tyndall were not
To him eternal rest seems aw’ful, correlate equivalents of the universe
th at Spencer, H uxley, and those philosophers except as they were
and the fear th a t it may be as it is. And because equivalent
who agree with them , hold. In do­ enlightened special scientists, but
so after all is wearing on the nerves correlates, they are necessarily a
ing this, it is, of course, possible their jealousy of the absoluteness
and draw s one nearer and nearer continuance of the sam e Jaws under
th a t I have sometimes misc «nceived of the laws of n atu re as ag ain st
to death, while he who is content and by which all of the changes of
their teaching.”
an y “ D eity” was the ruling passion
with w hat his troubled brother the universe have occurred or do
1 he “ D eity” he evolved out of of their lives, and it would he use-
th in k s the worst, is happy indeed occur. But no correlate is like its
,
„
.th e ir teaching is further explained less to quote. In this they were
and grows more contented as he decedents. 1 herefore, the infinite thus, in h is “ Gospel of E volution,” h eartily in accord w ith the great
con tin u ally learns th a t n a tu re ’s and Chang,ng law sof the universe v is , “ Evolulion is th at system of acientiist, philosopher and M oni.t
laws are in perfect harm ony with ™
us «■> - f i n i t e variety, though, which regards all things as! of Jen a , E rn est Haeckel.
He
his happy thoughts of light, liberty w ic I can never repeat Itself, and proceeding from an im m an en t a n d |h a s spent a life of earnest work
and love here, and a blessed con­
never vary nor tio ate t ose aws. om nipresent Deity, who etern ally and protest ag ain st (he notions
tin u ity of his good works, and per­ rh e past is, thus, our solid found«- creates and decreates by «he cease- covered by our F rie n d ’s “ Im -
fect rest hereafter. Poor, ignorant tion, the present (w ird) is a becom­
less and orderly movings of his m o rtality and D eity.” T h at p ro test
despised Infidels, who, in the past, ing, the future is our reliance and
“ 'dw elling presence.”
has been the great m otive of his
have been frightened when they hope. And why? Because our wills,
\ \ h en we respectfully asked for career. We need only refer to his
came to their deathbed, have been as Prof. Huxley well said, are con­
some elucidation of th is divine def- latest works.
In his “ M onism ”
m ade so by the cruel dogmas to scious factors in the active-becom
‘ ..... ............... «»»«rw w ui- inition we were overwhelm ed with (A. and C. Black, publishers, Lon-
which they were obliged to listen j ing of the present which correlates a dash of “ sarcasraus ” and the as-
all th eir lives. B ut things are the futnre; but th at ,, th e ground surance th a t “ the subject is one of and denounces the whole personal
changing, and today the most pious of hope and reliance ,n the future which the less one usually really im m ortality business as unscien-
C hristian dreads the approach of on y because the facts, laws and re- knows, .he more absolutely and tific, impossible and absurd. He
the aw^ul judgm ent day, much suits of Science, th a t is, of th e uni- conclusively dogm atically does he says: “ I f any antiquated school of
more th an the well-informed so- verse are absolutely and conclus- u su ally speak.”
purely 8pecultttive p8ychology svill
called “ Infidel.”
ively certain as against all con-
These words certainly do des- continues to uphold this irra tio n a l
A copious knowledge of n a tu re ’s ceivable “ actualities or possibili
scribe our friend, who tra d e this dogm a, th e fact can only Ire re-
laws is the best antidote for such ties.” The violation of, or change dogm atic, m ysterious and presum p- garded as a deplorable an ach ro n -
m ental poisons as we babes of sup­ in, thosp laws is absolutely incon­ tuous definition of his God, but he ism .” And in note (p . 113) he
erstitious heathen ancestors are apt ceivable (see Spencer’s First P rin­ strangely and ungraciously applies adds: “ We now know th a t th e
to eat. Some tim e since, we heard ciples) under the law of correlation.
.
them to me for sim ply asking him light of a flame is the sum of elec-
a dru n k en m an shout, “ H u rrah for
Of course, ,t ,, open or any one “ to ex p lain hie ex p lan a tio n .” Not trio vibrations o, th e e th e r .a n d th e
hell! W ho’s afraid of fire?” A to try to show that the laws of na- Now th a t he has begotten or be- “soul” of m an a sum of plasm a
pious old m aid, standing
by, tu re do not apply to the “soul” of come sponsor for this God, it is too movements in the ganglion cells,
thought, if one could judge by her the mosquito or of man, sn d that late for him to plead presum ptuous As com pared with this scien tific
words and actions, th a t w hat he it is a supernatural and unaccount- ignorance and take refuge in silence conception, th e doctrine of ¡m in o r-
said was ju st awful, and she pro­ able entity. But this our friend Yet this is ju s t what he tries to do. ta lity has the sam e value as the
bably prayed for him for several wrote to show to lie overwhelm- He pleads intellectual
.
..
. . irresponsi-
- 1 red In d ia n ’s notions about a fu tu re
weeks; but his state of mind was ingly against the evidence, and we bdity or weakness; says th at “ he life in S chiller’s “ Nadoweasia n
not as bad as hers, for his trouble wholly agree with him.
only took the ground to popularize” Death Song.”
was curable while hers was chronic.
Of course, also, our knowledge of w hat had been written by certain
H aeckel’s s last
last and
and decisive
decisive
„• i •
. .
, . 4
, . ,
,
.
7
|
—
i Prof.
roi. naecKei
H .. brain was in jured, but he was the facts, laws and results of „ .- - g r e a t philosophers and scientists, work, “ W eltrath sel” (W orld E nig-
Old filled with fear by h,s poison, to r e s processes will be exlended, to wit: Spencer, H uxley, Haeckel ! m a), has vet to (re tra n sla te d , but
while her poison kept her in to x i-, probably beyond what we can now and T yndall. He adds th a t he m a v lit is sum m ed up in “ W a tts’ L ite r
M
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