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About The Silverton journal. (Silverton, Or.) 191?-1915 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1915)
MATERIALIST COLUMN A REPLY TO MR. PIIEI.PS. By Olin J. Ro»». I would like to huve »puce fol' space in The Journal with Mr. Phelps, but »pacu is limited to us, and there are several Mutvralisls who would like to • at our religious champion. n a recent issue he “corrects” me by idlrging that the British Asnociu- tion for the advancement of Belem e ha* repudiated the chief purls of Dur- winism. 1 do not huve the report ut hand, but 1 mistrust the quotation, for Mr. Phelps is careless, to suy the leant, of his usMcrtion». Even if the quota tion is correct It doos not prove Dar winism false, for there has always been a dispute a* to the truth of evo lution. Since Sir Oliver Lodge has come to the front us the champion of spiritism, he huving become u convert to the claims of the spiritualistic me dium, Mudam Palladina, whom Hugo Munsterberg, Professor of Psychology ut Harvard, exposed, as shown in his long article in the Metropolitan Mug- uzine for Fobruury or March, four or live year» ago, why, it muy be true thut he und others of like faith und abil ity murshalled a mujorily ut the con vention, and had evolution “over thrown." But their repudiation of Durwinism doe* not overthrow it, not uny more Dian the crqwd that crucified Christ overthrew Christ. The New ^ork Truth Seeker, not long ago, went Plto an inquiy us to how eminent men stood on evolution, and the array of names, even among the clergy, which included Dr. Elliot, president Emeritus of Harvard in support of it was start ling. Like us one Wendell Phillips was worth ull the unti-sluvury orators of the country, and a» one Voltaire, the autocrat of Europeun letters for nigh two generations, the pcrsonul friend of Frederic the Great und of Cuthurine of Russia, was worth all the priests and preachers of Christendom as agulnst superstition, cruelty, per secution, torture and witchcruft, so that old man al the University of Jena, Prof. Ernst Haeckel, is w rth u thousand Sir Oliver Lodges und his class of thinker». As to Haeckel, following his regulur methods of argument, Mr. Phelps un dertakes to set against the life work of this man a disconnected sentence as to spontaneous generation, just us he undertook to discredit the life work of Huxley by picking out a single sen tence in his earlier writings. g Any child can usk questions winch no man can answer, and in the *ame wuy Mr. Phelps may occasionally ask u question as to how certain phen omena are produced, phenomena, too, which science is still at work trying to explain. He wants the people to forget that science has practically answered very many of the questions that were former'y usked by the be liever» in the thing culled God, and which because they could not lie an swered then were insisted upon a. proofs of the existence of u God. Where God was once regarded us the maker and doer of certain things, it has been discovered that they are the products of nature, und that there was no occasion for un intelligence of any kind to manifest itself, or give direc tion». For instance, gold is malleable. To my mind gold always was malle able, and no God, no intelligence was r quired tc uppear and order it to lie malleable. A »tone fails from the :liff to the sea beneath. Mr. Phelps, according to what he says, can imag- ne a time when a stone would not do that unless it was ordered to do so by a God. Here is a mountain range that was up'ifted at some remote date. Mr. Phelps would certainly say thut the mountain got up at the request of a god, and thut the god had in mind the especial welfare of Mr. Phelps and other». N<jw, we know practically, how the mountains were uplifted, which wus one of the impenetrable mysteries, »foretimes; and so science has gone the rounds of many of these old mys teries. Religion hus expluined none of them. In other words, science has been driving the God, or this alleged intelligence, into ths dim background of nature where there are still unex- plained mysteries. Not being able to fully explain ceitain things were and ¡are done, our Divine joyously jumps to the conclusion that that is infallible proof that they were and are done his way. In much the same way he could prove that a river, a painting on the window by Jack Frost, a rainbow, a dew drop or a snow flake were pro duced by supernatural agencies. Mr. Phelps puts me in mind of the fluttering bird which seeks to lead the hunter from its nest. He seldom answers the points the Materialist makes, but starts off on a new tack, hoping probably that the reader will forget the point that was made. At least, I do not think that he has an swered anything I have said, though he 1 as a way of arrogantly asserting that he has "floored” you, when the truth is he has sidestepped or gone off on a ta.igent. In the issue for December 18th he rnnkos a great ado about the saving power of Jesus and then points to Jerry McAuley and others as proofs that there is a God and that Jesus is hl« son. But the putting of a drunkard on bis feet does not prove the exis tence of a God, nor even of Jesus, not my more than tho “hollering at a man and the saving of him from being run down by the 1H hour Limited from New York to Chicugo proves the ex istence of God and of the saving power of Jesus. During the Washingtonian movement and the Francis Murphy Meethigs thousands of notorious drunkards were saved from their cups and put onto their feet without any “Conversion." If one confirmed drunk- urd can reform himself with the aid of friends, without getting God and Jeuus to leave their alleged thrones, It proves thut every one of them, with like circumstance, could have done the same. Of course, some of them tilled up on religion, which is the sume thing as filling up on sup< r- stition, and then imagined, under the instructions of other believers, that God und Jesus were doing what their own wills and pleasunt environments, with the assurances of sympathetic friends, were doing. A man could fill up with faith in a rabbit’s foot, and U"der the same conditions it would ac. complish like results. Over in Africa u mi*n will get this same kind of u "witness of tlie spirit,” a feeling of safety, etc., by carrying a fetisch, or by having around u good quality of ju ju. When you come to examine the credulity of the African and the de vout Christian you will find that each is made out of the same kind of stuff. If the black, jungle man gets saved from u big snake he promptly gives the credit to the ju ju or the fetisch. If the good Christian gets saved from the devi* or unything else, he promptly gives the glory to the virtues of a man who died about 1900 years ago. This giving of credit p.oves that this dead man is still alive; that there is a God and that Jesus 1« his son, for on what other bus is can you account for the aforesaid saving? Rats ! Ruts ! If Mr. Pheps will let me talk to him like as he talks to Materialists, I would say, "Phelps, why don’t you reason und analyze?” Columbus, Ohio, December 26th. By Guy Eitch Phelps (Continued from Page 2, Col. 6) harmony of the gospels. Grant may have been u sceptic, if so he perjured himself when he took his oath of of- lice with his hand on the Bible. If Lincoln did write a book against the Bible in his undeveloped youth, he changed. Mr. Wulker, who wrote the philosophy of the Plan of Salvation, a book 1 recommend to infidels, was an infidel, lie began reading the Bible to pick it to pieces, but changed his vie^v» and wrote the book I have men tioned instead. 1 am amused that Mat- erialist!c Evolutionists, who say there is no God will persist in claiming Washington, a member of a church, and u man who believed in God. And Torn Paine himself believed in God. Yet these people who declare that such a belief is superstition, still tight to number these men among them. Those who believe there is a God and those who do not are as far apart as the east and west. Don't forget, Mr. Ross, that Tom Paine preached as a Metho dist. Some day when the notion strikes me 1 will quote some of the sayings of Lincoln anil Washington and show how much truth there is in the claims of sceptics as to those men. 1 asked the evolutionists to change a cow into a horse by evolutionary processes, because 1 hold that if such is impossible with man and his reason to do the selecting, it is foolishness to believe that the haphazard methods of nature did what man cannot do. I will get to natural selection before long, and we will Bee just how un reasonable it is. Mrs. Bliven demands that I pray and get power to create cows and hoises so that she and her infidel companions will believe. But God lias created millions of them, and they are here to look at and yet she does not believe. Neither would she believe if I could create a cow through prayer. But this is foolish throughout. G <1 has the creating power in his own hands. She shows hoiw little she knows about prayer when she says God has pledged himself to answer prayer. We are commanded to ask “ACCORDING TO HIS WILL.” Think you that God would give a man power to make horses just to convince a sceptic who would hate him more bitterly if he did because the infidel would find him self cornered? If Mrs. Bliven wants to discuss the subject of whether God answers prayer or not I shall be pleased to take the matter up with her. Watch the date after the name on the little green label and if you want the Silverton Journal another year re new your subscription promptly. Dr. Heisley’s days in Silverton, Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. Office over Preston’s Sh p, leave calls at the shop. At Woodbum othei days. SOCIALIST COLUMN And it does well if it doe» not the giver al»o. For, the giver is placed in a patronizing position which is mor ally unwholesome. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT YOUR A prominent social settlement work SELF ? er »ays that he ba* been accused of being like the drunken man who coulu , By John N. Work. riot help his partner up, and therefore UapilaluMU compel» nulhous of peu- »at down in the gutter beside him say- . pie to accept degrading charity. ing, “1 can't help you up, Bill, but 1 How would you like it yourself to can sit down in the mud with you any. i tie con polled to uccept chanty I how!” This prominent settlement would you use it, for example, worker deme» the accusation, but *t to have a bunch ol patronizing peo come» perilously near being true. ple, intent upon perloriuing an act of The pity and sympathy which ac-1 chanty, conueacend to bring you a ban- luate charity workers are admirable, net oi tmng» lor Cnnutnia» .' and in so far a* they help indviduais Just consider it u moment. tc a better life they are to be com Hoc eat, now, how would you like mended. it? But in the larger sense, their work You would feel degraded and in is utterly hopeless. Every essential sulted, wouldn't you? feature of tne present social system 'Jt course. lias its dagger out to stab their effort* I nut’» the way every self-respecting to death. The results of their work ] person feel» under »uch circumstance*. are extremely puny, it is not suf- , But, you »ay, there aro people who iicent to try to regenerate individual». | ur* in need and they must be helped. it is to alter the condition* which Unfortunately, ye*. blight the mass. But it 1» entirely unneco»»ary for so it would be too bad to neglect the ciety to permit anyone to bo in that individuals whom these people help. terrible condition. They needed not do so. But, in addi ^Socialism propone* to guarantee tion to that work, they should use every man and woman an opportunity their iirst hand knowledge of condi to earn a living, and to receive their tions to scourge the system which pro ful1 earning». Socialism a'» propote* duces those conditions, and thus help tc e*tabl»h kick and accident insurance to change the system. and old ago pension». in other words, these sentimental Then, degrading charity will cease, altruist*' should become practical by Meantime, charity 1» a necessary joining the Socialist movement and evil. help to abolish capitalism and intro Go ahead and take the basket to duce Socialism. the de»tilu‘'h I hereby lay hold of their intellect But do not plume yourself and im ual collar and urge them into the So agine that you are doing a meritorious cialist movement. vltriblian act when you do »o. The sentimental altruists have a On the contrary, you will be insult great spiritual passion lor humanity - | ing the memory of Jesus Christ unless But they fool away moot of then | you do it with the knowledge that the lives working for super iicialiues. inej recipient* are victim* ot social crime, attempt to uplift particular individ and with the intention of doing all in uals. your power to abolish the present crim. They need to be shown as plain as Inal social system which wreaks such daylight h- w barren and useless their hideous injustice upon its victims. methods are — at the same time gen Unless you do it with this knowl erously giving their organized chari edge and with this intention, you will ties, their social settlements, their have totally failed to catch the spirit leagues and societies and committees of Jesus. and crusades of various kinds, their Yes, tike the basket. due. But take it with a rebellious heart— But how pitifully little their due is! rebel'ious against the industrial sys It is because they want to reach tem which produces such human down and “uplift” the working mas wreckage — and determined to re ses, instead of working with them for place it with a higher and better one. their emancipation. The working class And do not impose your embarras has fortunately reached the stage of sing presence upon the recipients. partial self-respect. It does not want Do not impose your staring eye-, to be patronized. It wants justice. upon them. But, how frightfully hard it is for Do not impose your condescending the sentimental altruists to work with munner» upon them. the workers, instead of patronizing Do not mortify them and gloat over them! their pitiful pleasure by staying to They spend thousands of dollars see them enjoy the contents. and years of time that get nowhere— If you have a self-satisfied feeling efforts whose results are immediately that you are doing a noble act, and a effaced by the cruel system which hankering to give them an opportunity causes all social misery. to pour out their gratitude to you — They do not strike at the root. be ashamed of yourself. Their efforts have no definite ulti They are entitled to receive justice mate end in view. instead of charity. They have no consecutiveness. You are only giving them a tiny So, they cannot even hold what they crumb, whereas they are entitled to grin. have full-1 afed justice. These people naturally come into No, no! Take the basket gently.! the Socialist movement as soon as Take it softly. Leave it without be they learn what Socialism really is, ing seen if possible. For it is degrad because they then discover that So ing. cialism affords them the opportunity Unfortunately, it is not merely at to do their greatest good, by working Christmas or Thanksgiving that char- along with the workers for their ty is needed or given. It is in full emancipation, instead of reaching down blast the year around, easing up a to them. They bring their idealism little but not disappearing during the and their passion for humanity with summer months. them. The movement is a great gainer One evening I chanced to be in a thereby. They also bring the persis certain industrial center just before tence, the patience, the enthusiasm the closing hour. When it was time to and the tireless energy, Horn of a high close, I saw the most ragged and purpose. Some of them afterward go wretched looking bunch of boys and through a stage of impossibilitism and girls, sprinkled with women and old loftily scold those of us who were men, come in at the door that I had working for Socalism when they were ever seen in all my life. They had fooling away their lives on superficial market baskets on their arms. They ities. But, in due time, they come out went up to the lunch counters, and the of this attack of scarlet fever. After waiters put the day's scraps in their that, they settle down and become baskets. most valuable workers, uniting their As I passed out the door I saw an intellect, their efficiency, their com old woman,crippled, haggard, oblivious mon sense, and their passion for hu to her surroundings, looking intently manity, in a persistent fight for the through the glass door to see if her goal of Socalism. little boy or girl would succeed in get Meantime, they need not abandon ting anything in the basket for sup their charity and settlement work. per. This particular restaurant is one The necessity for charity is caused of a chain of lunch rooms which make by the fundamental injustice of the it a practice to pass the day’s scraps present cap’talist system of industry. over the counter every evening at The men who do no useful work — closing tin»«. And there is always a the men who have money invested bunch of people on hand at each place from which they draw incomes — the to receive them. Passing along the n en who through their invested cap street any evening, you can see them ital have a suction pump by which waiting outside with their baskets. they draw into their own coffers most What sort of citizens are we — so of the earnings of the rest of t’ne eo- ciety — making out of those boys and ple — these men are rolling in wealth girls? which they did not earn. Consider it carefully and conscien All because they are permitted to tiously. Ask yourself if we are doing own the industries. our duty by them. We, the people, Give us the collective ownership are responsible. There is no escaping of the industries, so that we can our responsibility. guarantee every man and woman an In every city and town there are opportunity to earn a living and to re organizations whose object is to pro- ceive their full earnings — and char- ; vide food, raiment nn 1 «heiter for ity orgaizations can disband forever. those who are reduced to absolute want; to dole out charity to social Do you want to buy a beautiful plot > victims to whom society jUgn. to guarantee an opportunity to earn a of ground w th fruit and berries al- I living; and to extend the influence of ready in bearing, with wood shed built , and two tent houses ? This is a bar culture to the down-trodden. Such luxuries come high, but it gain on the installment plan. The seems that we must have them. Char- property is three blocks from car line ty is necessary under the present that runs into Portland. Price $1800, $100 down, $15 per month. Now’s the system. But it always degrades its recipients time and The Cascade Real Estate Co. are the people. Come and see! just the same. I utr::tn»nn :Ttttni i »uu i :i i i i »niMKi»ii ii iii»»»:ni i iiH i mw u OUR OBJECTS AND OUR PLAN OF CAMPAIGN FOR A FREE PRESS We have been browbeaten, maligned, assault ed, boycotted, denied our rights in Court, im prisoned and robbed of the privilege of editing our paper while in jail, all for trying to make the world better by publishing the truth. This only makes us stronger in the fight! But, as we have been robbed through boycott, of the where-with all to continue our work, we are forced to change our plans, and this advertisement is to let the lovers of liberty, justice and truth know that they are hereby given the privilege to help in our Cam paign. Are you in favor of our continuing in this work? Here are our objects: f : In order to make the world better for our hav ing lived, and with malice toward none and charity for all, we wish to make public: 1. The doings of individuals who are posing as good citizens, but who are continually commit ting crime secretly. 2. The grafting schemes and self protecting sycophancy of our public officials. 3. The hypocritical and absurd pretentions and confidence games of all humbug religious fakers. 4. The effort to destroy our public schools, our other American institutions of civil and rel igious liberties, free thought, free speech and free press, by the foreign power known as the Roman Hierarchy, and its treasonable efforts to destroy the American government and prevent our prog ress in perfecting “a more perfect union.” 5. The cause of poverty and crime and the remedy by the destruction of political trickery and false hero worship and how to establish universal knowledge of the true principles of government on the basis of equality of opportunity and the inalienable right of every citizen to an equal chance to life, liberty and the pursuit of hap piness. 6. The awful effects of the use of stimulants and narcotics on the human race and the best methods of emancipation from their destructive slavery. 7. The principles of the universal (genuine Catholic) religion of righteousness, and a true, progressive and modern Protestant faith of de stroying ancient errors, which have held us in bondage; and that the salvation of our race de pends on the solid rock of “the brotherhood of man.” We have faith that there are enough thinking people in the United States to save our work from the destroyer’s hands, and we are using this space, formerly occupied by advertising which made it possible to publish our paper, to call on all who are interested to join us in the work. Do you believe in a free press? Do you believe in our objects? If so, help us establish A Fund for Defensive and Aggressive Warfare 4 Do all you can and get others to help! Send us facts that should be published! That we are alive and willing to work is our opportunity. Do not wait! R. Richard Carr C. R. Zacharias H. H. Dewall ... H. Gill ............. 11.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 T...............«...................tMi»miii»nimmilii»l»imilltmtntH»»immiiiiiiniiiimn Send 10 Cents for MAX BURGHOLZER’S new book of 32 pages How To Reduce The Cost It’s a good one to read and pass to a neighbor.