Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1902)
T H E TORCH OE REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, MARCH 27, E. M. 302 (1902.) 4 questions can fail of final law and drift of social welfare and deed a great thing, because, Let the T orch answer 1. It recognizes through and by progress, all such half tru th is im practical, useless, or injurious. “ The these Republics, th a t the R epublic questions and articles, as T h e O n ly P a p e r o f Its K in d . worse falsehood is the half tru th .’ is superior, and the ultim ate of the offer and dem and. W ho h as not th o u g h t of th is d if integration, or governm ent of m an The Christian Lockout and kind. Published W eekly by tb e Liberal U n i ficulty of d iv e rsity , u n til it seemed v ersity C om pany, in tbe In te re sts of th a t all reform was sim p ly a fu tile 2. T h at all of th e great branches Torch of Reason P u re Science, applied to E ducation, a tte m p t lit L^rion and P ractical L'“ *. T . B. W a k e m a n .................... E d ito r P. W . G e e r........................... M a n a g e r E ntered at th e postoffice at Silverton, Oregon, as second-class mail m a tte r. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. One year, in a d v a n c e ......................... $1 00 Six m o n th s, in a d v an c e .................... 50 T hree m onths, in a d v an c e ................ 25 In clubs of five or m ore, one year, in ad v an ce.......................................... 76 Money should be sent by registered letter or m oney order. T hursday , M arch 27, E. M. 302. ATTEND AND REM EM BER ! If the Copernican (th e m odern) Astronomy is true, the C hristian Astronomy is wholly false; and the C hristian religion based upon it, is also a false and fatal illusion. W e know of no one who has ever trie d to show th a t th e above s ta te m e n t is n o t tru e . If you th in k it is n o t, are you n o t bound to show why a n d how it is n o t, to o th ers? T he T orch is open a n d re s p e c tfu lly in v ite s you to show it in th e se c o lu m n s. We want the T ruth —for th at can be the only solid foundation for the G ood . Let us have earnest ness and courage enough to accept and live for both— for S cience and H umanity ! B E A R T H E TO R C H ! Its Subscription Must Be Increased I Many friends of Liberal and Sci entific progress and education ask us4,o appeal to the Liberal public, and indeed, to all people capable of intelligent thought and inquiring m inds, to make a decided effort to increase the subscription list of the T orch . We feel th a t we m ust press this request home to you, our readers , in view of the exceptional ability and high character of the men and women who are now engaged in discussing in its colum ns the most im portant and urgent questions th a t can interest hum an beings. Notice how it is done—so th a t both sides may be seen, for the first time, under the light of the new Science of Sociology. The Press teems with reform, party, and spe cial papers and periodicals, thick as “ the leaves of V alam brosa,” and alm ost as useless. W hy so? Be cause they are special and partizan, and so, lim ited in religion or poli tics, or economics, or m oral or so cial reforms. They all have some tru th , valuable— nay, indispensable tru th , but because it is disconnected from the rest of the tru th which may be relevant, or from the whole to re b u ild th e T ow er of of Society a n d G o v e rn m e n t, A rt, B ab el? IIoW hopeless, till now, etc., are not C om plete Sciences o. has seem ed to he tfie way o u t ! an d by th e m se lv e s, h u t only de W ith o u t special design the T orch , partments of S ociology, w hich is because it re p re se n ts e d u c a tio n , th e g ra n d S cience of h u m a n associ based upon th e C o n stru c tiv e L ib e r atio n a n d p ro g ress: T h u s, law , alism of all th e Sciences, h as fallen Politics, education, ethics aesthetics in to a position w here it and its c o n and every branch and reform ative trib u to rs , can he of g re a t u se in tendency and effort of H um anity, lessening th is confusion an d w ar of became a part and organ of its h o n est, p a rtia l a n d y et useful p u r grand integration, differentiation, poses. It m ay m ak e th o u g h t co and then co-operation, in order to o p erativ e. secure an increase of liberty, wel solution? by other occasions Boycot. "H e who h a th e ars to h ear, let him b e a r ” ’ T be C h ris t. ‘•He who h a th brains to th in k , let him think ¡’’—In g e rso ll. “ In C h ris tia n m in d s c o n tra d ic tio n s dw ell to g e th e r in u n ity .”—In g e rso ll. In a town not very large nor very far away, there is published by an enterprising, general and all- sided m an, an enterprising, general and all-sided weekly paper, for the common advantage, use and en lightenm ent of the com m unity. Among the contributions sent in and printed, as a m atter of general interest, was one upon the new views in religion, and th eir general advance and value, in co ntrast with the old. Thereupon quite a rum pus ! T he C hristians begin to yell, “ Stop my paper !” and with fingers in their ears, they “ lockout” the inform ing publication, and “ boycot” the editor and his office. The editor at once tum bles, and as sures the offended th a t he will never, never offend ag ain — no “ re ligion” of any kind henceforth ! Question: Is this the right and best thing to do for all concerned ? Is it not striking down the “ free dom of the press” upon affairs and issues which are the most im p o rtan t of all— which concern every one, and w ithout regard to which, no m atter of ed u catio n , m orals, politics, or even of business can be really, tru ly and fairly discussed and d e term ined ? M ust not a general new spaper be free and open as to m atters of gen eral interest? Else, will it not fly with clipped wings, and be a little, narrow, business, gossippy or sec tarian specialty—stupid and m ost ly useless? To have the only weekly and S unday newspaper of a bright little town and com m unity cut down, shackeled and handicapped in this way is a general m isfortune and loss; and more th an one of its read ers enters a stu rd y protest . Let the editor ask the offended to reply in his colum ns as best they can, and then appeal to his more en lightened townsm en to double the lost subscriptions— but never give up the rig h t to edit a free and un- tram elled paper, at the dictation of any sect, or of any one ! A free country must be one of free discussion. We m ust be will ing to com pare views, and to give and take our “ p u n ish m en t.” The man who locks out an d boycots ideas, com m its intellectual suicide. D on’t let him kill or stu n t our free newspapers too ! Men and women of m arked ab ili fare and progress in and for every ty and ripe experience, are m aking race, nation and people. the fairest and clearest statem ents ' 3. Hence it follows th a t society, of “ the burning issues’’ in our col and its laws and m easures of umns. There they stand side by welfare and growth, are continuous side for com parison, as in no other processes of reciprocal action, a co organ— for organ it is for all , as operation of each for all,and of all for far as space and time perm it. Its each. Consequently th at each owes specialty is generality, in order to as the sum of his life and duty, his obtain harm onious unity and benef best life to the R epublic, whose icent results from the tru th s pre highest du ty and function is in re sented, often in ap p aren tly d estru c turn to secure that best life, ac tive opposition. cording to its welfare and needs. You may well say, this has never Now, ju st as soon as we evolute been possible— How can it he now ? beyond the slavery and dom ination The progress of the Science of So of gods, devils, kings, em perors, etc., ciology and its several dep artm en ts, for their own greed and glory, the is the answer. From its higher above three fundam ental laws of and general point of view, for the Scientific association, th a t is, of first time , the general scram ble of Sociology, become the motives, hum an progress is becoming an or guides and objects of hum an con derly evolution. The T orch d o e s duct, individual and collective. not assum e to be the grand or only Hence a true light falls over all exponent of this Science in these dis departm ents of hum an action and cussions, for by questions and a r ti all relations of life. cles it can bring the light of others, It is astonishing how far these besides its own thoughts, to lead the prim al laws throw th a t light, and way to the better evolution. But how much! Let us begin to grasp all will be useless unless it has an it: We see th a t the world is made audience to hear and th in k ! up of the C osmos and M an . The C osmos is explained by the law of SO C IO LO G Y 1 equivalent C orrelation of all its changes: M an is explained by this The New And Important Science Impris law of co-operative association of oned in Europe and in Colleges. all hum an beings in their race and national divisions. T hus physical In the last T orch was Hhown the science gives us Cosmology as the im portant part th a t Sociology had basis of Sociology, with Biology as at the late Paris Exposition in be the interlude. On them rests our half of Fiance, and how th at Re hum an world— the Sociology of public had m ade R epublicanism Man. a part of its general school educa Now let us never forget these all- tion. This week the show th at the including first laws of hum an (n o t Social Democratic Republic of divine) Sociology:— Sw itzerland made there, is given in 1. T he R epublic , the com m on part. wealth and safety of all, is supreme. It is a great thing th a t these, the 2. P rogress , (grow th) by in te two European Republics, have de cidedly recognized the new Science gration, causing individuation, giv in their statesm anship and educa ing order and liberty. 3. C o - operation , of Each for tion. T hink in com parison how America at its Chicago W orld’s F air All, and All for Each, m aking Exposition had a “ P arliam en t” of rights and duties reciprocal, and dead and dying “ R eligions,” a few dependent upon each other. Upon these 3 “ hang all the law E volutionists in a dark corner, and We can furnish the readers of the the true Religion, the Religion of and the prophets”—th a t is the F reethought and Liberalism , of Sci P resent and F uture of all hum an T orch with any of the Liberal books published. C onsult our list of Lib ence, H u m an ity and Sociology, no peoples. W ith these 3 clues, from eral Classics, published from time w hat difficulties and entanglem ents to time in the T orch . If you do not w here ! This E xhibition at Paris was in can we not become clear? W h a ti find there w hat you want, write us.
