Torch of reason., December 24, 1903, Page 5, Image 5

TH E TORCH OF REASON, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, DECEMBER 24, E. M. 303 (1903.)
5
Paul believed. That was and is 1 under Bible tradition and idolatry, man and woman is equally absurd, “W hy?” be more than a tag of ig­
the saddest of delusions. History either take or make a false answer Microbes, plants and animals are norance?
now shows that no such “Judge” | to these vital questions,or acquiesce the natural .onus and produc s o , 3. W hither ? The Bible story
of a “soul” flitting away to som#
has ever come, and Science, with in the nothingarianism and “An- protoplasm on the Earth s sur ace, “Heaven” above the “firmament” ;
the Copernican astronomy, now1archy” of no answer at a ll-w ith whose origin nature and history, or from thence coming down to
proves that no such Judge can the result of no life object, but physical vital and mental , are the earth’s surface, as “the king­
dom” of Yahveh or “God,” was an
ever come- and that the whole their appetites, ambition and van- now well known and all of t
jg no» Avninfion
preceded man whose illusion of the old Astronomy,
becomes utterly impossible
ofigin * and ascent (descent) from which
true
,
it
is
from
its
unfortunate
and absurd under that of Coperni­
sion that ever afflicted mankind.
the anthropoids is as plain as any cus. The “soul” under the said
position
the
greatest
possible
There can he no true, honest, mor­
family tree. To refuse longer to law of correlation is found to be a
al life on this planet, until the curse: For it is its false answer to
recognize these plainly proven continuous fact” or process , and
leaders of the human race are dis­ these questions which prevents
not a breath, “spirit,” entity, or
abused of this illusion, its delu­ the people from getting the true facts is nothing but folly, or as the form of matter. Its true immor­
French say, “ folie ,” madness
tality is in preparing it to effect
sion and consequences. Not at ones. It is the false religion which
2.
W
hy
?
It
is
another
touch
an ever higher and better stage in
the hour or day of death only, but makes the true one impossible.
of
that
“madness”
to
ask
the
“cre­
the evolution of the future of its
in all the life that leads up to that Let us try to see as we can what
ation,” origin, cause or “why” of human race, and of its parts, or­
day, the influence of this intoxica answer Science has given us to
the infinite universe. It and its gans and societies on this earth.
tion of delusion continues as a j these great religious questions
That is discovered to be the true
blight and curse. That which seems1, 1. W hence ? It is now abso- Time and Space cannot lie thought W hither . The joy of preparing
beginning or end, but for and realizing that by fore­
and iiopciui
hopeful” is like the i imoi;
lutely certain that
neither the of as having
s so
o “bright
on uni anu.
»--- —
. .
.
opiate dream, which makes life un- World, or the Sun, or the Earth, only correlative,equivalent changes feeling, is the cliief object, aim,
real, anil in fact and result, “not | or Man, or anything living or other, which fact, or how of things, is the purpose, satisfaction, joy, and
“why” of life!
'
worth living.”
! on the Earth, ever had any “crea- bottom law of Science, and which
This
is
the
plain
conclusion
of
process
of
facts
prevails
through
Mr. Mangasarian at his last S u n -, tion,” origin or beginning or 1ns-
Science concisely and plainly
stated up to this (late. The Bible
day’s address, as if in stern rebuke
illusions, an intoxication of East­
of all this debasing nonsense, gave
ern imagination, make it wholly
the closing words Mr. Spencer’s
impossible for our people to real­
own Farewell, in view of death:
ize these plain truths, and to get
human life and duty based upon
words so gently sincere, truthful
them.
But until that transition
and beneficent in influence, that in
is made there cannot be any real
them his life seems to fall upon
solid basis of human welfare and
the Earth as a blessing which make
progress—only a floundering about
ridiculous the craze or mummery
in a chaos of Anarchy, sure to end
in disillusion, degeneracy and “the
of Apostle or Saint, Priest or Pope :
slough of despond.”
“T h u s, a d m ittin g th a t fo r th e fa n a tic
The only wisdom, safety and
gome w ild a n tic ip a tio n is n eed fu l as a
true religion is in the T ruth . That
s tim u lu s , an d rec o g u iziu g th e u se fu l
will only avail as it prevails.
n ess of his d e lu s io n as a d a p te d to his
p a rtic u la r n a tu re , th e m an of hig h er
ty p e m u st be c o n te n t w ith g re a tly m o d ­
e ra te d e x p e c ta tio n s , w hile he persev eres
w ith u n d im ish e d e ffo rts. He has to
gee how c o m p a ra tiv e ly little can i»e
d o n e, a n d y e t to find it w orth w hile to
do th a t little ; so u u itin g p h ila n th ro p ic
energy w ith p h ilo so p h ic calm .—[H e r
b e rt S p en cer.
W HENCE?
W HY?
W H IT H ER ?
Every “Religion’’ is an Answer to These
Questions, and the One True Answer
is the Only True Religion.
In the personal letter to the
T orch Editor in our last number,
editorial page, we were told: “Why,
sir, you have got to go to the Bible
to find out where you«canoe from;
and where you are going! ” “Your
object is to take from the world all
that is bright and hopeful, giving
nothing in return.”
Our distinguished correspon­
dent evidently thought that this
stroke was a “finisher.” It is lie
cause many, who like him are
wealthy and influential, most mis
takenly agree with him; that the
Freethought Magazine and T orch
cannot be discontinued, but must
continue to do the most needful
work of dis-illusion, and of the
transition from the i Id to the new
world and religion.
For, there can never be any true
life on this Earth until the above
three questions are truthfully an­
swered. The great trouble of our
day and generation is just this
that the leaders of human affaire,
Our New Poem and Goethe’s Tale.
Our Editorials this week im­
press the greatest fact about our
age and generation; which is, that
we are in, and are the transition
between the Old World of Theol­
ogy and the New anil entirely dif ­
ferent World of Science. Our
troubles come from the non-recog­
nition of that all-controlling posi­
tion in the world’s history. All of
our real life, thought, literature
PEARL W. GEER,
have this as their ocean swell and
undertone. It is his grasp of this
BUSINESS MANAGER of “ THE LIBERAL REVIEW,”
great
truth that gives such great
Freethought Magazine and Torch of Reason, Consolidated.
importance to Goethe’s career, his
“world-spirit,” and his w’onderful
out
the
forms
of
protoplasm,
in­
gift of veracity and renunciation.
tory as in the Bible is set forth.
cluding
animals,
man,
human
soci­
For this reason his tale (the Miihr-
The first touch of Science shows
that whole Genesis story to be sim­ eties and the human race itself. chen) will be among the perma­
nent lessons in history and soci­
ply the inconceivable and impossi­ To ask and learn the “ why ” of the ology at the L. U. O. Do not fail
ble reverse of truth. The creation forms and changes of things in (by sending in your 40 cents), to
of a BOUNDLESS universe is un­ this organic or protoplasmic world, have a copy of it, as stated in last
thinkable even. The sun and stars where “natural selection” and the T orch —make it a Christmas pres­
rotating over a fixed stationary “survival of the fittest” prevail, is ent to your inmost self.
And in this view do not fail to
four-cornered World, or Earth, a sensible figure of speech, describ­ read and understand Mrs. Bristol’s
with a “firmament” with water, and ing results from causes beneficial Poem on our first page. To open
a heaven above, where Y ahveh was to the organism. And in human the heart to the new “morn” it is
supposed to reside, is a laughable affairs, personal and social fore­ necessary to “renounce” the old
illusion to any one who reads a thought and design of object (tef- night and spook, except as it is
used in transforming the old feel­
modern Astronomy or Geography. esis) make it sensible to ask the ing and concept of life and “soul”
The reverse of it all is the truth. “W hy?” and to previse the results into its place and part of the new
The Earth is a planet-sphere, ro­ of the human will , which*s a fact, world. Mrs. Bristol’s new, but
tating daily on its axis, making and a step in the order of nature most rare, little book of Poems,
day and night, and yearly circling and of human government and evo­ “A Spray of Cosmos” (page 8),
is rich in poems of this character.
the Sun by an orbit of 558 mil­ lution. This natural process-fact Mr. Badger, of Boston, is the pub­
lions of miles, and with the Sun enables man to control the order lisher to whom $1 sent will bring
sweeps towards the northern con­ of the world to his advantage, and the book, or send directly to us. It
stellation Lyra at the rate of 300 so makes him largely the master of is only by and in such books as
the future of himself, his societies this “Tale” and “Spray,” that old
millions of miles a year!
heart can find new love and life.
The Bible story of the origin of and his race. Can any other