Torch of reason., December 18, 1902, Image 1

T orch
R eason .
of
“ T R U T H B EA R S T H E TORCH IN T H E SEARCH FOR T R U T H .” — Lucretius.
V U J j . o.
SILVERTON. OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER IS, E. M. 3U2 (190&)
I HE NEW
W O R L D ---
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I X
T H E U N IV E R S A L R ELIG IO N .
As Revealed to Walt Whitman.
BY ROBERT G. INGERSOLL.
X
i
X
BY WALT WHITMAN.
NO. 50.
B IB L E
ILLU SIO N S .
: W hat Is the Astronomy of the Bible ?
X
X
BY ROBERT G. INGERSOLL.
w
S you read the m arvelous
I AM th e c re d u lo u s m an of q u a litie s, ages, races,
H E N people were ignor­
I a d v an c e from th e people in th e ir own s p irit,
book, or the person, called
H e re is w hat sin g s u n re s tric te d faith .
ant of all the sciences,
“ Leaves of G rass,” you feel
the Bible was understood
O m nes ! o m n es ! le t o th e rs ig n o re what th e y m ay,
the freedom of the an tique world;
by those who read it the sam e as
I m ake th e poem of evil also, I co m m em o ra te th a t p a rt also,
you hear the voices of the m orning,
I am m v self ju s t as m uch evil as good, an d m y u a tio n is—a u d I say
by those who wrote it. From tim e
th e re is in fa c t no evil,
of the first great singers— voices x
to tim e discoveries were m ade th a t
(O r if th e re is I say it is ju s t as im p o rta n t to y o u , to th e la n d o r to me,
elem ental as those of sea and storm. X
as a n y th in g else.)
seemed inconsistent with the Scrip­
T he horizon enlarges, the heavens i
tures.
At first, theologians de­
I too, follow ing m an y au d follow 'd by m an y , in a u g u ra te a relig io n , I d e ­
grow am ple, lim itations are forgot­ X
scen d in to th e a re n a,
nounced the discoverers of all facts
1 It m ay be I am d e s tin ’d to u t te r th e lo u d e st c rie s th e re , th e w in n e r’s
ten — the realization of the will, the
p e alin g sh o u ts,
inconsistent with the Bible, as A the­
accom plishm ent of the ideal, seem i
\\ ho know s ? th e y m ay rise from m e yet, an d so a r above every th in g .)
ists and scoffers.
to be within your power. O bstruc­ X
E ach is n o t fo r its own sake,
The Bible teaches ns th a t the
tions become petty and disappear.
1 say th e w hole e a r th an d all th e sta rs in th e sk y a re fo r re lig io n ’s sake.
earth is the centre of the universe;
The chains and bars are broken,
th a t the sun and moon and stars
I say no m an h as ev er y e t been h a lf d ev o u t en o u g h ,
an d the distinctions of caste are
N one has ever y e t a d o re d o r w o rah ip ’d h a lf en o u g h ,
revolve around this speck called the
N one has begun to th in k how d iv in e he h im se lf is, a n d how c e r ta in th e
lost. The soul is in the open air,
f u tu r e is.
earth. The pien who discovered
under th e blue and sta rs— the flag
th a t all this was a m istake were
I say th a t th e real a n d p e rm a n e n t g ra n d e u r of th e s e S ta te s m u st be
of N ature.
Creeds, theories and
th e ir relig io n ,
denounced by the ignorant clergy
philosophies ask to be exam ined,
O th erw ise th e re is no real a n d p e rm a n e n t g r a n d e u r ;
of th at day, precisely as the ignor­
(N or c h a ra c te r n o r life w o rth y th e nam e w ith o u t relig io n ,
contradicted, reconstructed. P rej­
an t clergy of our time denounce the
N or la n d n o r m an o r w om an w ith o u t re lig io n .)
udices disappear, superstitions van­
advocates of free thought. W hen
W h at a re you d o iu g y o u n g m an ?
ish and custom abdicates.
The
the doctrine of the e a rth ’s place in
A re you so e a rn e s t, so given u p to lite ra tu re , science, a r t, a m o u rs ?
sacred places become highw ays, d u ­ X T hese o ste n sib le re a litie s , p o litic s, d i n t s ?
the solar system was dem onstrated;
ties and desires clasp hands and X X •lo u r a m b itio n o r b u sin e ss w h a te v e r!t m ay be ?
f » *
when persecution could no longer
M
become com rades and friends. Au­
I t is w ell—a g a in st su c h 1 say not a word, I am th e ir p o et also,
conceal the m ighty tru th , then it
B u t behold ! su c h sw iftly su b sid e, b u rn t u p fo r re lig io n ’s sake,
th o rity drops the scepter, the priest
was th at the church made an effort
Eor n o t all m a tte r is fu el to h eat, im p a lp ab le flam e, th e e s s e n tia l life of
th e m iter, and the purple falls from X
th e e a rth ,
to harm onize the »Scriptures with
kings. The in anim ate becomes a r ­ X A ny m ore th a u su c h a re to relig io n .
the discoveries of science. W hen
ticulate, the m eanest and hum blest
W h at do you seek so pen siv e an d s ile n t ?
the utter absurdity of the Mosaic
X
things u tter speech and the dum b X W h at do y o u n eed c o m erad o ?
account of creation became a p p a r­
D ear son do y o u th in k it is love ?
and voiceless burst into song.
*
ent to all thoughtful men, the
L is te n d e a r s o n —lis te n A m erica, d a u g h te r o r son,
A feeling of independence takes
church changed the reading of the
It is a p a in fu l th in g to love a m an o r w om an to ex cess, a u d y e t it s a tis ­
possession of the soul, the body ex­
fies, it is g re a t,
Bible. Then it was pretended th at
B
u
t
th
e
re
is so m e th in g else very g reat, it m ak es th e w hole co in c id e ,
pands, the blood flows full and free,
the “ d ay s’’ of creation were vast
It, m ag n ific e n t, b eyond m a teria ls, w ith c o n tin u o u s b a u d s sw eeps a u d
superiors vanish, flattery is a lost
p ro v id e s fo r all.
periods of time.
When it was
art, and life becomes rich, royal and
shown to be utterly impossible th a t
Know you, so lely to d ro p in th e e a rth th e g erm s of a g r e a te r re lig io n .
superb. T he world becomes a per­
The follow ing c h a u ts each fo r its k in d I sing.
the sun revolved around the e a rth ,
sonal possession, and the oceans,
then the account given by Jo sh u a
My c o m r a d e !
the continents and constellations
F o r y o u to sh a re w ith m e tw o g re a tn esses, a n d a th ird o n e risin g in c lu ­
of the sun standing still for the
sive a u d m o re re s p le n d e n t,
♦ i
belong to you. You are in the cen­
space of a whole day, was changed
The g re a tn e s s of L ove a u d D em ocracy, a u d th e g re a tn e s s of R elig io n .
ter, everything radiates from you,
—“L eav es o f G ra ss.” X into a figure of speech.
an d in your veins beats and throbs
i
It was said th a t Joshua merely
the pulse of all life. You become a
conformed to
the
speech
—
— —
- — mode V* of
a U
w Vz a / I1
rover, careless and free. You w an­ song, and feel the breadth and women of all em ploym ents, trades common in his d a y ; and th at when
der by the shores of all seas and scope of earth and sky. You are in and professions— with birth and he said the sun stood still, he mere
___ . cities, in th _ e m • idst
, . of » .....................
...
_
.
hear the eternal psalm . You feel the great
burial, with wedding feast and fun- ly intended to convey the idea th a t
the silence of the wide forest, and m ultitudes, of the endless proces­ eral chant. You see the cloud and the earth ceased turn in g upon its
stan d beneath the interw ined and sions. You are on the wide plains flame of war, and you enjoy the in- axis. They adm itted th at stopping
over-arching boughs,entranced with — the prairies— with h u n ter and effable perfect days of peace.
the sun could not lengthen the day
sym phonies of winds and woods. trapper, with savage and pioneer,
In this one book, in these won and for th a t reason it m ust have
You are borne on the tides of eager and you feel the soft grass yielding
drous “ Leaves of G rass,” you find been the earth th a t stopped. But
and swift rivers, hear the rush and under your feet. You sail in many
hints and suggestions, touches and 7°«* will rem em ber th at the moon
roar of cataracts as they fall be­ ships, and breathe the free air of
fragm ents, of all there is of life, stood still in the valley of A jalon—
neath the seven-hued arch, and the sea. You travel m any roa.le that | iea between , he babe> whoee
th at the moon stayed until the peo-
watch the eagles as they circling anil countless paths.
rounded cheeks dim ple beneath his Ple had avenged themselves upon
soar. You traverse gorges d ark and
You visit palaces and prisons, m other’s laughing, loving eyes, and their enemies.
dim , and clim b the scarred and hospitals arid courts; you pity kings the old m an, snow-crowned, who,
One would n atu rally suppose
th reaten in g cliffs.
You stand in and convicts, and
your sym pathy with a smile, extends his hand to th a t the sun would have given suf-
orchards where the blossoms fall goes out to all the suffering and in- death.
ficient light to enable the Jews to
like snow, where the birds nest and sane, the oppressed and enslaved,
He never lost his hope. When avenge them selves upon their ene-
sing, and painted m oths m ake aim ­ and even to the
infam ous. You the m ists filled the valleys he look- niies w ithout any assistance from
less jo u rn ey s through the happy air. hear the din of labor, all sounds of ed upon the m ountain tops, and l *,e moon* Of course, if the moon
You live the lives of those who factory, field and forest, of all tools, when the m ountains in darkness had " Ot 8toPPed» the relations be-
You d ’®*ppeared, he fixed his gaxe upon ( have beer^cha^ged.0^ moon wou*d
till the e a rth , and walk am id the in stru m en ts and m achines.
perfum ed fields, hear the reapers’ become fam iliar with men and the stars.
Is there a sensible man in the
A