REPLY TO MATERIALISTS
By Guy Filch Phelps.
In The Silverton Journal of Deccin- live according to Christianity have no
•<<r IHtii I find two article» by Free- need of feur regarding it, unless they
linkrra; one from Mr». Bivvn, und the should come in contact with some chap
other from a Mr. Hall, out in Michi­ who refuses to live a Christian life and
gan. Mrs. Bllven'a uriicle contains sinks in the moral acule. Then after
nothing worthy of not'.*!«. Il is u snarling ami snapping at my God, ax
childish array of statements from sev­ he culls him, because he finds thut
eral "prominent" er loading Free­ di scuse destroys men through trans­
thinker on what kind of a Sunday to gression, he turns his whole argument
set up. I was amused to find that upside down by saying that these two
they turn to the church for help. Their forces arc necessary in the universe,
plan is to get the churchox to divide the god that builds and the god thut
time with them. The fuct is they must destroys. It is reully amusing to see
do something like that to get a crowd. how these infidels cross themselves.
You see, nobody, tukes the ii.fidcl as
Bul 1 would remind Mr. Hall that
seriously as he would like to be tuken, if his theory be true thr.t there is no
und it hurts his pride. The self ele­ God in the universe, then he is under
ment in them is quite strong, and to onligatiun to explain where these
be treated with ailent disregard, and germs he hates came from. Did they
to see the millions going to church on cvolutionize ? Did his god of dirt
Sunday to hear the sweet old stoiy create them ? He is compelled, ac­
of Jesus und his love makes them feel cording to his own belief, to admit
like saying something very, very harsh. that they evolutionized with no ref­
I said in a former article that infidels, erence to God. Then why is he mad
to be consistent, "should set up a Sun­ ut my Ged? Why don’t he get mad
day with everything religious cut out. ut his mud god ? Just granting, Mr.
What do you want to set up a question Hall, that there is no Infinite God, ax
box for? Why do you want to uxk 1 believe, will you explain where
quest! ”s about Christianity ?
I these germs cume from? What wax
thought you folks had decided that it your b axted evolution doing about
is only superstition and a fraud, un- the time it created this "devil of a
^^'«sonable and disgusting? Well, if it germ?" And if the creation of it is
is, why do you waste your time on the sufficient to make you mad at the God
thing? Why don't you set up a Sun­ of the Bible, why, pleaxe, don’t you
day with everything Christianity get mad at your god of dirt? The
teaches, and ull matters of religion facts are if the laws of righteousness
cut out ? Come now, don't be h> po- and health were observed, and had
criles, make your Sunday just the they been observed, we would know
reverse of ours. Will they? They will little of any disease. These disorders
never sot up a Sunday ut all, they are the results of gluttony alcohol, im.
haven't moral Aber enough to estab­ purity, and general transgression of
lish anything moral, and they know it, the laws of health, as is proven by
so the first thing they pa*i with their l»ettering conditions in any given city
Sunday is to head into the Church. secti-n. Plenty of ice lowers the death
Sure, 1 knew that. What a bunch of rate of children in the cities in the
bigoted bluffers infidels are? As to summer. So thia might be carried
learning about Washington and Lin­ on to many fields. It shows how little
coln ad Paine (more Paine, you see) an Infidel has to stand on in his con­
and Jefferson, we have books which tention. And it shows another thingy
give us the facta regarding them now, Infidels are not after science or facts
and feel no need of getting a garbled half ns much as they are after getting
hogwash from some infidel who feels God out of the universe. They hate
the need of respectable associations God, and that I- the tap-root of al)
and seeks to steal a few decent char­ their contention. But here let me ask
acters from Christianity. Study tl e Materialists a question: What harm
encyclopaedias.
(would it do science on uny line to es­
Next comes an amusing little ar­ tablish the fact that there ia a God?
ticle from Mr. Hall. I shall notice a I request that some of the leading
Aw of his statements. He calls my freethinkers shall answer thia. Is it
^article the “big push,” and then pro­ not a fact that the leading evolution­
ceeds to reply—mark you, he calls his ists have believed in a God? Did Dar­
article a reply. I stated in a former win deny the existence of the Infinite?
article that life is always constructive. If so. where? Pleaxe quote it. Is not
That is true. But I did not say it ia the world stocked with the works of
alwnya beneficial in its constructions, the leumed who studied every science
A wart is constructive, also a cancer, and yet believed in God ?
but not beneficial. Of course, being a
Next Mr. Hall tells us that mole­
God-hater and anxious to say some­ cules crea e life (ye gods, hear that?
thing bitter against religion, he could where is Darwin, who believed the
no*, get that point. Life is airways very opposite) through "HEAT, SUN
constructive, and the only evidence one and TEMPERATURE." Now talk
has of its presence is that it is build­ about believing that God created
ing something. The San Jose Scale is things by the power of all-might!
an insect, male and iamala. They form What do you think of this? Life is
colonies in the bark of troes, and pro­ created by molecules, acted upon by
ceed to breed by the million. This is heat, sun and temperature. Will Mr.
life, and it is constructive. Then Mr. Hall pleaxe tell us the difference be­
Hr.ll, like the good scientist he isn't, tween heat, sun and temperature? See
proceeds to confuse germs and insects. what silly statements a Materialist
I was imu;«d at what he had to say is compelled to make, simply because
about the syphilis germ. He says it he undertakes to make a universe
is a "devil of a germ." Mr. Hall evi­ without a God. Then he goes on to
dently believes in the devil, from this. say that the "battle of the elements
If he does not why did he say this is waged between construction and
•b'-rm ia devilish ? Does he admit destruction," and that "one is just as
Lmcthing in the universe that has the important ax the other.” Well, what
nature of the devil? Certainly, he was he finding fault about germs for,
does it in this statement. But does then ?
he not know this is fatal to his other
But a question right here: Has Mr.
views of the universe ? I had to smile Hall ever seen a molecule? Does he
at Mr. Hall’s bitterness against the definitely know that it exists? Is he
syphilis germ. He Beems to have a certain that such a thing as an atom
special spite at thiB germ. He says reully exists?
Are scientists dog­
"it is a devil of a germ." Now I don’t matic on tnese points? Is this not,
know much about this particular thing after all, a theory? It is claimed that
as Mr. Hall seems to — every fellow in one cubic centimeter, which is
to his own experience, you know — 0.3937 or two-fifths of an inch, there
but I grant that it is some germ, and are 25—36 mil'ion million milli-n
I can easily imagine such circum­ molecules. That means that the whole
stances as would make a man very thing is a guess, for no gloss has
bitter against it. If Mr. Hall has his ever been invented which could detect
own reasons for his feelings in this one of them. Therefore, Mr. Hall is
matter he ia to be borne with in all building his theory of life on some­
patience, But in passing I would re- thing which he has never seen, never
mind him that thia germ la not an can see, and does not know certainly
animal. I had occasion to examine it that it exists. He tells us that he has
nder the glass recently, and say on much more to say on this line in the
le authority of a local physician that future. Really, if what he has is not
this germ is not mobile, if it is, better than this, we may be pardoned
nothing is gained or lost, for ‘where for hoping that the spirit will not
the laws of purity are observed it move him. For if Mr. Ha’l is not
is never heard of, and a man who conscious that he is absurd, others
sinks to the level of swine shou'd are.
have a swine’s reward. I was also
It may not be improper to say that
struck with his remarks regarding the Materialists share in the common
creation where God said, "Be fruitful traits of the race. They would have
and multiply.” Mr. Hall seems to be one believe that they are candid,
quite angry to find that God did not thirsting for facts, dying to know the
mean free love when he said that. He truth, etc. Yet the real truth is they
practically finds fault because the are set to establish their views of dif­
multiplying cannot go on immorally ferent things, and they dread to meet
without evil results. I refer the read­ a man who can show that they are
er to his article to see that I am not absurd in anything, and they usually
misquoting him. This is a sample of meet that man with snarls and bitter­
infidel motals. Has Mr. Hall never ness. Alpheus Hyatt, a strong mat­
read: “He that soweth to his flesh erialistic evolutionist, says: “A scien­
shall of the flesh reap corruption?" tific man who has a theory to support
I thank God that men can’t play the is as stubbornly difficult to convince,
and escape punishment. God even on clear evidence, as any other
thing to do with the ravages of man.” That is certainly true. Like
this germ. If men live purely they Mr. Hall, he wou’d declaré that mole­
will kn'-'w nothing of it. Those who cules create life rather than own the
t
absurdity of such a statement, be­
cause, if he does not say that, he
might huve to conceed something that
would go to prove the existence of
God. Like the scientific professor of
Padua, who would not look through
the telescope lest he discover the
moon« of Jupiter, they close their eyes
to the reasonable and gulp down ab­
surdities. Is it not true that one sci­
entist undoes by his discoveries the
dogmatic theories of another? Do not
scientists today reject Darwin’s theo­
ry of evolution? They have just done
so at Melbourne, calling it a super­
stition. Sir William Thompson se­
riously declared in the presence of the
leading scientists of the world that
life came to this planet on a meteor
from some other planet, and learned
heads nodded, and scientists in the
amen corner of the god of dirt said
Amen, and Amen. Let that have time
to soak In. Meantime, Mr. Hall is
asked to harmonize himself with his
more learned materialistic brother.
These are the fellows who worship at
clay banks and sneer at God. These
are the people who «ay prayers to
buthybius and sneer at immortalitiy;
and then they wonder why folks re-
futie to take th*m seriously. Since
Werner there huve been more than a
score of geological hypotheses, many
of which would excite laughter if
mentioned now, and yet these evange­
lists of mud declared them as profound
dogma» to be received in the name of
science. Poor word, how many little
fish seek to make a respectable swim
of ft in the latitudes of the term.
Some chap Like Hall will declare that
molecules create life, thereby dis­
agreeing with the leading scientists
of the world, and then close by ask­
ing for a scientific God. The really
sad part of this is that he doesn't
seem to know just how absurd he is.
One hundred years, or so, ago, the
French Institute enumerated no fewer
than eighty geological theories that
were hostile to the Bible, while not
one of those theories are held today,
the Bible is doing business at the old
stand. Th theory of Lovoisier as to
respiration "Was exploded in an hour."
Once heat was said to be matter, now
they tell us it is motion, what will
they call it tomorrow? Huxley waged
war for his theory of live - giving
bathybius, but discovered his mistake
and abandoned the theory. Sir Wm.
Thompson announced his theory of life
coming to this earth on a fragment of
rock from some other planet (an ab­
surdity considered even in the light
of gravity), but abandoned it in one
year. Strange that none of those
apostles of dirt, who heard him say
that, ventured to ask him how life
reached the other planet. The theory
that man is directly descended from
the monkey has been universally re­
jected. For it has been proved that
monkeys and men develop in opposite
directions. The discovery of argon
has played havoc with many nice little
theories of so-called scientific men.
Huxley wisely said that all scientists
should be killed at sixty because they
refuse to yield to new ideas. The
whole pith of science is strewn with
the wreckage of rejected theories, and
who may say what that is axr**"--dly
believed among them today will be
cast to the scrapheap tomorrow. Al­
ready science has rejected Darwin’s
theory. Materialistic evolution can
never arrive; it will be a hobo forever.
MATERIALIST COLUMN
Edited by Eliza Mowry Bliven, Brook­
lyn, Conn.
I am glad several are answering Mr.
riielp’8 unscientific and misleading
arguments, so I can more especially
help evolution of methods, to develop
more intelligence, morality, health,
justice, good citizenship, etc.
For 1500 years the Christians’ rul­
ing and methods have been swaying
the so-called civilized portions of the
world. Yet even Guy Phelps acknowl­
edges that the majority of church
members are not good Christians.
There are bad citizens and good citi­
zens in every church and in every
religion, and also outside of all rel­
igious beliefs. It is evident that none
of the Gods, nor their sacred books,
have the power to make all their fol­
lowers moral, nor wise, nor healthy.
What is it that has and does this in
some people? What is lacking in the
Christians’ methods that they do not
make all people moral ?
Guy Phelps claims that to Chris­
tianity belongs all the virtues, morals
and all other good qualities of man­
kind. That is his bluff and Chris­
tians’ self-conceit. Centuries before
Christianity was born, all those qual­
ities were taught and practiced by
many wise and good peop'e, especially
in ancient Greece, and more or less
in all the ancient civilized and half­
civilized nations. People could never
have built cities and lived together
unless they had some justice, virtues,
kindness, that made laws or public
sentiment requiring regard for others’
rights and welfare.
Materialists have just as much right
to claim and teach all these qualities
as Christians have. And since Chris­
tians’ methods have failed in making
all mankind moral and the majority
of church members are not what they
ought to b«, some of ua Materialists,
who believe in evolution of Intelligence
and morality as well as evolution of
plants and animals, are trying to find
out the causes of the Christians’ fail­
ures, and to help toward evolution of
better, more effective methods. We are
willing to give cre<lit and use what­
ever beneficial methods the Christians
have evolved, while we weed out the
“husk»*’ they feed to the peop'e in
place of strengthening mental and
moral food.
Belief in rewards and punishments
after death, forgiveness of sins, the
Bible as truth and a moral guide,
faith in prayer and belief in any kind
of a God or future life, are all husk».
They are imaginations, not realities.
Morality can be promoted in better,
surer ways. (To be continued.)
Eliza Mowry Bliven.
• •
Marshall J. Gauvin is Rationalist
Lecturer in Pittsburg, Pa. Selections
(rum his unxwer to my etter.
lx:t me assure you that you have
misjudged treethought meeting« in
concluding that they do not draw
women. I have an audience of about
six hundred people every Sunday, and
when we have Carnegie Music Hall, on
the North Side, our audience runs up
to about a thousand; and in those
large audiences the women are always
as numerous and as enthusiastic as
the men. We certainly do draw the
women. Mothers come with their
daughters, and fathers bring their
sons.
With respect to the question box . .
at Sunday meetings, I think I am th<
only Freethought lecturer in this coun­
try who has reduced the asking and
answering of questions down to a
science. At the close of each lecture
we have the people place their written
questions in the collection baskets.
In this way, from twenty to forty are
handed to the platform every Sunday.
While they are supposed to have Borne
direct bearing upon the lecture of the
evening, they frequently deal with
most various phases of the Free-
though question. These questions are
read aloud to the audience by the
Chairman; and 1 make answer im­
mediately. 1 answer as lengthy and
fully as the question calls for, when I
can. So far 1 have been remarkably
successful in this w-rk, so much so
indeed, that the society, holding that
some of my best work is done in the
question box hour; have engaged a
stenographer to take down the ques­
tions and answers in shorthand, and
transcribe them in type writing. The
object is to publish a selection of the
best questions and answers in pam­
phlet form. A series may appear in
“Truth Seeker” in the near future.
Tins feature of ourprogram is so high,
ly appreciated that scores of our mem­
bers declare that much as they like
and enjoy the lectures, they appreci­
ate yet more fully the immense am­
usement and instruction of the ques­
tion box. My lectures usually round
up in an hour and as a rale it lakes
me as long to dispose of the questions,
and the vast audience remains g'ued
to the seats until the last gun has
been fired.
To hand in the questions one week
and answer them the next as you
suggest, would lack almost all the in­
terest that our system possesses. What
gives our method its great force, its
tremendous interest and its genuine
qualities of interaction, is me fact that
there is immediateness and spontane­
ity about it. The question does not
get old. The question does not lose
interest. There is no going home to
look up references. This question is
like a ball thrown by a pitcher and
I intercept it on its way and hurl it
from the bat. It means twice the work
for me, but I enjoy it, and would not
give it up for anything, if I could re­
tain it as a privilege. But there is
not the slightest danger of its being
diy.ant.inued: for it is one of the great
sources of our power; it fills our halls;
it is a standing certification that we
have nothing to hide. It gives the
audience pleasure as well as profit;
and it is an excellent training for me.
I really have my hands full here. My
lectures must be scholarly and pol­
ished to satisfy not only the audience,
but myself. My power depends absol­
utely on the quality of my work. My
work here is a mighty force working
for clearer intellect and finer morals.
Like you I would love to see a lec­
ture platform\like mine in every city
of this vast country. It will come, I
am making Freethinkers many. Men
and women come with their friends to
have me influence them. They come
again. The charm seems to be ir­
resistible. I make Freethinkers of
them. We have a fine literature table.
All in all we are doing a very great
work. Then I do some private work.
Men have me visit their homes to con.
verse with their wives or friends. To­
morrow night I am to spend a few
hours with a doctor’s family. I know
of no more effective method than this
on a for the winning of some people.
In my address I studiously avoid giv­
ing offense to any, but send home the
logic, humor, wit and galore.
Yours most faithfully,
MARSHALL J. GAUVIN.
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bondage; and that the salvation of our race de­
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man.”
We have faith that there are enough thinking
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