THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, OCTOBER 18, E. M. 300 (1900.)
th a t economy is equity, th a t reci-
and more com prehensive reform.
prosity is preservation, therefore in
And such a reform is not wanted.
telligence is liberation and not
BY JOHN PRESCOTT GUILD.
The clergy seems to be afraid of it.
faiths hut facts, are th e foundation
I f th e error is conceded, it means To the Oregon S tate Secular Union,
of ethics, and not au th o rities but
the denial oi the infallibility of the
(by m ail.)
reasons, are the principles of any
Confession. The dogmas of the T haddkus B. W a k em a n ,
religion th a t can m ake one ride u n
church cease to be absolute veri
Pres. O. S. S. U.
to salvation, because it is good unto
ties;
and
tru
th
is
recognized
above
Though
him self and all m ankind.
| It. <»»*'• »•
o the m ail’s delay * discon-
the creed of the church, as the ; certe(| t he arrangem ent for me to be
R easoning is reckoning, not rec-
highest court of appeal tru th , as- pj-pg^nt a t the convention of the
lessness and w recking; Liberalism
certainable by philosophical en- Q rego„ State Secular Union in the
is not libertinism and liquorism .
quiry at d scientific research.
Classic Grove of Silverton, yet I
F reeth in k in g is not free-drinking,
T his would be equivalent to the mPt with you all there in spirit and
and Secularism is not selfishness.
abolition Of all dogmas and would ¡n tru th and send my thought for
Secularism is L iberal Sociality
according to n a tu ra l dem ands as
mean the enthronem ent of a p rin the hour by Uncle S am ’s post, so
determ ined by experience and rea
ciple to fill their place. This prin that it m ay be printed in the pro
son, in co n trad istin ctio n to sacer
ciple, if we look at it closely, is no- ceedings as the speech for which 1
thing new; it is an old acquaint- ara program m ed..
The subject
dotalism , which is bondage under
the dictum of priesthood which pre
»nee of ourr; it is the same p rin ci which I wish to subm it, for the con
sideration
of
the
members
of
the
ple on which science stands. And
tends to have su p erh u m an a u th o ri
the recognition of th is principle convention, is
ty and know ledge, an d thereby
bosses those with too little know l
wouid be the conciliation between
PREJUDICE AND PRINCIPLE.
science and religion once for all.
edge to see through th eir mask of
Prejudice is judgem ent before
B rethren, do not shut your eyes
piety.
exam ination. It is m ade up p a rt
in broad d ay lig h t, b u t look freely
The dem an d s of L iberalism , or
ly of the tendencies which we in
about and follow the exam ple of
Secularism are all of them the de
herit, the heirship of the feedngs,
m ands of reason and justice, of ju s
the great founder of C hristianity.
fancies and facts possessed by a n
W orship God not in vain repetiti
tice as determ ined by reason; the
cestors; partly composed of the
dem ands of religion and principle,
ons, not in pagan adoration, as if
teachings of parents and associates,
of principle as it is involved in the
God were a man lik ourselves.
and largely is the result of th a t
W orship God in spirit and in tru th .
religion of h u m a n ity , th a t is, s a l
laziness of intellect, th a t boorish
Acknowledge the superiority of
vation according to common sense.
ness of brain, which will not think
tru th above your creed, and be not
The only d am n atio n w’hich it teach
and cannot learn by experience. free.
asham ed of widening the pale of
We have heard and read much es is the destruction which comes
T hat prejudice or jum ping at con
in consequence of ignoring the
y o u r churches.
clusions from uncertain premises, before about prejudice and p rinci
forces of n atu re as instanced in the*
If you acknowledge the suprem
is often necessary in our lim ited ple, and about principle, and p ro
recent d isaster a t G alveston.
acy of tru th and m ake your chang sphere of vision.
Nobody denies, fession; but in all the godly relig
F reethought can stan d alone be
es in the Confession because tru th
for guesswork forms the principal ions, speculative philosophies and
compels you to m ake them , your part of our necessary endeavor. d ictatorial politics which have all cause it sta n d so n the principles of
progress will be th a t of a man who But the word prejudice is seldom along perplexed, plundered and the etern al fitness of things; be
cause it stan d s for the tru th of
w alketh uprig ht and straig h t. But
used in the sense of judgm ent persecuted the people, there has
things instead of the dogm as of de
if you do not acknowledge the su
forced by the. requirem ents of the been any am ount of prejudice and
ities and beliefs in books—and
periority of tru th above your creed,
time, hut it is usually employed to profession, with principle and prac
H onesty is holiness,
if you identify tru th with your signify th a t blindfolded groping, tice of little or no account. P reju “ spooks.”
and the greatest reason for honesty
creed, your progress will he th e ad
th at trusting to trad itio n , th a t as dice is ju d g in g — is pre-judging,
is, honesty is the greatest th in g in
vance of a soldier loitering in the
sum ption of sufficiency, which is judging before know ing the causes
rear of his arm y, who is afraid of
All th a t is reason. W ith o u t honest th o u g h t
satisfied with outside appearance and circum stances.
there is no reasonable th in k in g ,
being left behind.
You will u n
and self-declared au th o rity , which prejudice w’hich guesses in the dark
w illingly have to yield to the ne prevents investigation and prohib and determ ines w ithout dem on and w ithout ratio n al th in k in g every
thing is mean in m ind. (T his was
cessity of a change; and you will
stration.
its contradiction.
have to do it again and again, and
Nearly all the ideas of the ignor not inspired in any spice-incensed
T h at regard for an y th in g good,
“ holy of holies” b u t inferenced
always without dignity.
th at tension tow ard tru th which an t are prejudices; and except with
Is it dignified to alter a religious has nothing but prejudice for its those too stupid to care, or too lazy while chopping a pine tree to p ).
Ecclesiasticism asks for the aid of
creed because it appears as a relit motive, may lead one aright.
A to th in k , it is usual th a t pre
the state and im plores the police
of
— barbarism
------------- - , because it has become leap in the dark m ay land you on judices are fastened to with a per
odious to the people, and because (1eck, but ¡g rnore likely to drop sistence in inverse ratio to the facts force for its protection, because it is
it no longer suits th eir tastes? Your y()U j n t jH, dock.
A prejudice, and their logical sequences. The unable to fu rn ish an y proof why it
Confession should be allegiance to
though for the right, is a very degree of m ystery m agnitude of the should exist. The religion of all
tru th . W ill you degrade it to he
pUot for an o th er prejudice incom prehensable is proportioned the churches of God show th e ir
in the ignorant m ind to its insist weakness by callin g on men for
the unstable expression of the aver-
at any tin)e i)ap pen along
su p p o rt, and the men would never
age opinion ot your m em bers?
qUjte as m uch pretense and ing on acceptation.
F or this reason about all the support them in th is age of some
There is hut one way to free p rOpel one in an opposite track,
yourselves from all these difficult- y he great trouble with prejudice is religious riots in the world are reason, if the women did not rope
ies. Recognize no dogm a as abso- ¡ts setting itself up as superior to prom ulgated with the proclam a them in. B ut the women are get
ting wiser and so the C hristian
lute and reverence no confession as pFOVPn facts and dem onstrated tion, “ believe or be dam ned,” and
churches are chang in g th eir tactics
infallible; but let tru th , ascertain- principles, and, in the pride of its they are enforced by the proclam a
and finding th e ir salv atio n in soci
able tru th , be the suprem e judge of jgnOrance, condem ning the logic of tion, profess or be killed 1—or at
ables. They are dropping th eir
all doctorines and of all traditions. experience and perse“~‘:“ ~ il'~ least, be taxed and taunted,
the founder of the “ true faith, ’ dogm as and dow ning delicacies.
Y our bible, your hym n-book, evangel of good nature.
w hatever it was, m ay well have W ith o u t acquiring much more of
your catechism , the history of your
It is as much the du ty of the intel-
said: “ All were liars before I came, principle, they adopt a lot m ore of
c h u rc h .a n d the reminiscences of ligent to teach the ignorant as it is
I am the tru th , I came not to send pleasure, and prejudice is giving
your venerable leaders shall re- of the fed to feed the fam ishing,
peace, b u t a sw ord.” The conflicts way as both the people and priests
m ain respected among yourself and it
the salvation of the free to u n
of the world are the consequences indulge in more play th an pray.
children, but let them not be over- fetter the slave, lest he become
of selfishness, and ignorance is the But, according to th e h y m n , they
rated in their authority.
T ru th hound by the sam e master.
It is
au th o r of selfishness, or ra th e r of “d o n ’t forget to prey,” but it m ust
reigns above them all, and the holi- not enough to glorify in our gospel
th a t sort of selfishness which be spelled w ith an “ a.” Hence the
ness of tru th is the foundation of of Liberalism , we have not learned
all true religion.— | Hom ilies of the first letter of it until we have m akes one rob another of property
Continued on 6th Page.
, .
endeavored to place the spelling- and rights. W isdom understands I
book of Freet hought in the hands
of the prisoners of dogm atism .
T ru th m akes free, and th a t is
not the T ru th which refuses to
tu rn the key and throw hack the
holt in the black h astileso f bigotry.
It is the m ost hateful kind of illib-
eralism which has not the k in d
ness to cut the cords ih a t bind a
festering body of death upon one
who hugs the poison as precious
sweetmeats.
I do uot know to w hat prejudice
w as due the break, which existed
for a short tim e, between the O. S. S.
U. and the L. U. O., and it m atters
not, now th a t these two in s titu
tions, and m other daughter, are
again found in fam ily harm ony, in
toning the principles oi m ental lib
erty and hum an happiness on
earth , presenting to a superstition-
dazed and soverign dom ineered
world, the greatest m oral spectac
le of tim e—a church w ithout a
priest, a religion w ithout a God.
Y ours is a gospel of goodness
which discords bloody atonem ents,
and a philosophy of science which
requires no m iracle in attestatio n
of its doctrines. Not “ fa ith ,” hut
“ facts,” is its watch-word and its
bloodless battle-cry is LUO!— I set