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Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, June 7, 1908.

Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, June 7, 1908. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.). 400dpi TIFF G4 page images Blade Publishing Co., Lexington, Kentucky 1908 blu1908060701a These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, June 7, 1908. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.). Blade Publishing Co., Lexington, Kentucky 1908 $IMLS This electronic text file was created by Optical Character Recognitio n (OCR). No corrections have been made to the OCR-ed text and no editing has be en done to the content of the original document. Encoding has been done through an automated process using the recommendations for Level 1 of the TEI in Librar ies Guidelines. Digital page images are linked to the text file. vr tor I t tl rv BLUE GRJSS BLADEvolume XVII Number 7 LEXINGTOHJSJCY JUNE 7 1908 Published Weekly DEVOTED TO THE PROPAGA THOUGHTrn II JAMES EDWARD HUGHES iIBusiness Mnungel nnA Publishe of Rlnrin 2 BLUE GRASS BLADE James Edward Hughes Every trial a temptation and an Inspiration Every obstacle over come a step forward In the march of progressive Humanity To tight and win Is a distinct triumph and to suffer for honest opinions nake but makes that opinion stronger firmer and with the suffering comes greater determination to struggle on In the glorious cause of freedom and truth Human history furnishes numerous examples of unsought and un expected heroism It may be an easy mutter to glide easily along with the current of public opinion for the sake of a life of ease popu larity and profit but ho who fearlessly swims against the stream for the sake of principle Is more to be honored than tho leader of a victorious army of soldiers The Blue Grass Blade owes Its very existence nnd Its present proud position In the world of Freethought to two men First to Charles Chilton Moore whose brain and pen gave It life Next to James ward Hughes whose superb courage fearless endeavor and heroic fortitude who by his voluntary labor and skill from week to week placed the Blade In the hands of Its readers and subscribers t James Edward Hughes was born on a farm In Montgomery County near Mt Sterling Kentucky on the 16th day of February and Is now In his 34th year But scant opportunities lay before him Hls parents permitted him to attend tho public schools In Mt Sterling but ns was the rule In those days his education was considered com plete at a very early age Being of delicate frame and build he was unsuited for farm labor and upon leaving school he sought and tained employment In a printing office at Mt Sterling where he learned the art of setting type by hand Two years later or In he came to Lexington and continued to follow the of a printer In the office of Veach Walker where the Blue Gross1r4de was then being printed and published under the leadership of Efor Moore Mr Hughes set much of the Blade type and being In hearty hympothy with the principles It advocated a warm friendship soon sprang up between Editor Moore and the young printer This friend ship ripened until through ndveslty nnd persecution they were found battling sldri by sldo for Freethought They suffered Involuntary martyrdom together As gold Is purified by fire so Is the heart and mind strengthened by successfully overcoming adversity otherwise the Blue Grass Blade would have died long ago Trouble now came upon the Blade In Editor Moore was rested by n federal marshal under nn Indictment charging him with sending obscene matter through the malls contrary to the provisions of the federal statute The Indictment was based upon the fact that Editor Moore had published an advertisement In his paper for a small ramphlet written by Mrs Annie Besant of England now the bend of the Theosophical Society Editor Moore was given a trial before Federal Judge Barr of Louisville who upon hearing tho facts In the case nnd notwithstanding a Jury verdict of guilty was satisfied that the motives of Editor Moore were pure and Judgment was suspended finally upon a promise not to publish tho advertisement again But this was only the beginning Upon his return home Editor Moore was confronted with a curt refusal from tho firm of Vench Walker to further print the Blade for him This caused temporary suspen sion of publication Now the courage nnd heroism of Mr Hughes came to the surface Ho encouraged nnd advised Mr Mooro to fit out a small printing office of his own from which to publish the Blade Mr Hughes promised to stand by the Blade If this could he done It was a hazardous venture for tho Blade had never boon a paying proposition b t a moments reflection setttlcd the matter In November a printing office had been established In Cincinnati where Mr Hughes worked and labored to publish the Blade upon a scant and m alter I compensation The following year or In August tho Blade was brought back to Lexington nnd the typo came with It Still the office had no press upon which to print It Mr Hughes continued to set the type and by special agreement Veach Walker did the press work nn arrangement which continued until April when Vench Walker ngaln refused to print the made nnd by tho force of sheer necessity the Blade again went back to Cincinnati In December of the same year for lack of financial support the Blade was compelled to pend publication and Free Opinion was started In April Mr Moore revived the Blade It was rcscusltntcd In Cincinnati but In August It was brought back once more to Lexington from whence It has sInce been continuously published Darker days were at hand for two months after the Blades return to Lexington both Mr Moore and Mr Hughes ns editor and publisher respectively were arrested by federal marshals upon another indict ment which charged them both Jointly with sending obscene matter through the malls Both were tried before Judge Thompson of Cin cinnati The result of this trial was that both were found guilty and Judgo Thompson sentenced Editor Moore to two years Imprison ment and Mr Hughes to a fine of and costs which brought the total to This was paid and Mr Hughes was released after spend ing one day In Jail Editor Moore continued to edit the Blade from his prison cell In tho penitentiary at Colombus Ohio and Mr Hughes continued Its publication Mr Moore was pardoned by the late Pres dent McKinley after serving six months In August another Indictment was found against Mr Moore nnd Mr Hughes in which they were again Jointly charged with send ing obscene matter through the malls This time tho action was founded upon the article of M Grier Kidder entitled The Virgin Mary which Is now In pamphlet form Doth were taken before Judge Walter Evans at Louisville but this Indictment was defeated on demurrer which was presented October Editor Moore died February It was a critical time for the Blade Many of Its closest friends desired that Dr J B Wilson should assume editorial control but that distinguished scholar and author was too busily occupied with his professional duties to take such a responsibility upon himself nnd after another conference It was de cided that Mr Hughes should now servo the Blade ns both editor and publisher a task he essayed to undertake with considerable misgiving How well that burden has been carried must bo left for the readers of tho Blade to Judge Some of our readers may bo inclined to tho notion that this is a his tory of the Blade rather than a biographical sketch of Mr Hughes It both The biography of Mr Hughes could not be written without tho Blade appearing therein and the Blades history could not bo given without prominent mention being given to Mr Hughes But for him Mr Moore might not have been able to keep the Blade going for Mr Hughes manfully stuck to the Blade through days of hunger nnd nights void of restful sleep Mr Hughes was married to Miss Willie E Walker of April They have one son Leland Hughes now LexingtonIyears of age During tho periods of stress and storm and doubt hearts heavy with despair Mrs Hughes sustained her husband through his struggles against the foes freedom She learned to set type and helped to set type for Blade She addressed the wrappers folded and mailed tho Blade to ofIsubscribers By slow and painful degrees tho Blade began to in circulation and Mrs Hughes was able to devote moro of her to her domestic duties Today with her husband she shares In great glory the Blade has finally won 1 BLUE GRASS BLADE g I Persistence of Superstition Tie Recent Feat of SoulWeighing Under Criticism by an Eminent Scientist By Dr T J Bowles In a previous article reference has been made to numerous superstitions once univer sal among primitive and savage men many of which by heredity tradition and vested In terests have been handed down to the present day and still prevail In a modified form One of the most persistent of these super stitions the still extant and widely preva lent silly belief In the existence of a duplicate or double which every human being Is sup posed to possess and which Is commonly spok en of as the soul this soul or spirit Is sup posed to be separate and distinct from the human body and at death to fly away Into some other sphere of existence where tho atmosphere and general environment will be Infinitely worse or Infinitely better than Is found on this sublunary sphere so tenacious Is tho life of this preposterous superstition that the great city of Boston In the highly state of Massachusetts In the bright morn ing of the twentieth century has furnished an example of men engaged an effort to ascertain the precise weight on Fairbanks scales of the ghost or double that Is believed to Inhabit the human body By weighing a man Just previous to death and Immediately after death they found one half ounce difference In the weight and through the public press of this great repub lic they proclaimed to a gullible public that a mans soul weighs the snug lltlo sum of onehalf ounce Nothing but superstition except Insanity could pervert the human mind to this degree of absurdity for every rational human being knows that every organic body living or dead varies In weight every moment and every hour of Its existence Rational thinking precedes rlrfht living and this beautiful earth con never become a happy home for tho tolling millions until tho light of science and the torch of reason pel the dark clouds of superstition which still drape all the arches of tho worlds horizon At tho present rate of progress and enlightenment probable that by the close of tho twentieth century all civilized people will bo completely emancipated from the baneful power of superstition and when this happy day arrives a golden cestus of clasped hands irrrii tho globe and all the notions of tho earth will be filled with Joy end gladness this hope may seem to bo extravagant when wo reflect that there Is still more then one hundred thousand pulpiteers the United Statert constantly engaged In debauching the public mind with these ancient and degrading superstitions but the student of science and history may safely Indulge thin hope because f IH known that progress Is eternal and constantly lifting the human race to higher and nobler planes of life ho knows that In organic nature there are two great forces at work heredity and environment and that edity preserves the form of organized bodies nnd also tho customs laws beliefs supersti tions nnd ceremonies of post ages he also knows that slowly and almost Imperceptibly tho power of environment modifies and changes all tho usages and superstitions of past ages and thus makes progress certain nnd Inevita ble This law of Nature that everything out of harmony with Its environment must perish from the earth fills the lovers of humanity with hope and Joy because they know that the priests of superstition and all holy books and divine revelations are no exception to tills rule they no longer have any standing In the court of reason and we are now stand- Ing by their deathbed and watching with Joy and delight the throes and violent struggles of their dissolution The same Inexorable fate overtook all the fabulous gods and their priests In tho an cient world the mighty Odin and Thor long ago fled from their home In the skies Brahma has vacated his Imperial throne In the heav ens and his priests are now moudcrlng In the dust Osiris and Isis and their priests lie bur led In the valley of the Nile all the Gods have fled from Mt Olympus and the mon strous Jehovah his fabulous Son and the my thical HoW Ghost and their multiyiide M priests will soon keep the company of that vast army of Gods who lie burled on the shores of the Medlterannenn Sea and In the valleys of the Tiber the Euphrates the Ganges and the Nile In the organic history of the earth we know that ns fast ns the lower orders of plants and animals die out they are replaced by higher forms and the same Is true of man and his Institutions and for this reason we now know to a positive and absolute certainty of the Gods and the priests of superstition rapidly drawing to n close Reason has now dawned In the human brain nnd when It sits firmly the mind of the race nil the gods and all their priests must forever disappear The Mesolithic period tho earths his tory was the age of flying monsters and hideous reptiles but that age has gone for ever and can never return again for wo now have a new environment that produces mnm als and men and we are now nearing the close of a long age of Ignorance of natural Inw which has filled the earth with monstrous Gods and priests but the new environment of Science and neason that has now arisen will exterminate these Gods and priests as surely as the changed environment extermin ated the flvlng monsters and hideous reptiles of the Mesozoic age this naturethis Science this Is reason this Is Truth let us nil rejoice for we now know Ihnt we have nothing whatever to fear for the future the bright monlng of the blessed nnd glorious era of Rationalism has at last dawned upon the sorrowing human race and the civilized world will soon bid farewell forever to nil the fabulous Gods nnd to nil revealed religions which hove cursed the human family through nil the dark and dreary centuries How long how long will It yet he fore mankind will arise their might and drive nil the Gods and all the priests of perstition back Into the dens and coves of our savage ancestors where they nil had their origin during the long night of mans total Ignorance of natural law Tho bottomless pit and the Topless heaven described by tho late Henry Ward needier has been endorsed by a Lexington preacher with considerable emphasis on tho former S 11n CHURCHGOING WEATHER The church In England It appears suffers very much from the same decree of neglect as the church In America It has been reported that the Rev Richard Free vicar of St Clem ents Fulham has written quite amusingly of nonchurchgolng In the parish magazine Asking his friend Ken who knows everything why people do not go to church he received the Weather exclaimed why the weather has been beautiful Precisely and thats the reason Why Its Just the same when the weathers beastly answered Exactly If the weathers cold theyre afraid of catching cold If Its hot they far sunstroke If Its wet they darent run the risk of rheu matism and If Its drywell there are germs of consumption In dust HUMANITY This planet Is my country Every creature my relation In gods do disbelieve They are Imagination Humanity are my beloved ones Those thinking to great extent And not those that are Ignorant They cannot comprehend To them u fact Is nrmcyense miracle great fable past live thousand years On such they pin their faith Let us give scientific facts To everyone we can rrenil the doctrines of truth To women and to men Weve had enough theology Ignorance of the past Let us stop and think a moment And be real men at last J FRANT2 Modem California Under Its present arrangement the Blade Is giving more reading matter In Its columns each week than any other Freethought weekly In the United States Its articles are all original an written expressly for the Blade columns Considering other valuable publications this Is saying a great deal for tho Blade and with Its subscription at a low flame there is no reason why we should no rapidly Increase our circulationtt Several additional copies of the lastt fIcnusecents each With apologies to the ancient writer we the Blue Grass Blade olllclally die Then all the Freethought hosts will want to know the reason why 4 BLUE GRASS BLADE Church Revivals from a Scientific View Sermon Delivered by a Unitarian Preacher In Far Off Montana By Rev John Malick Every demonstration of religion has boor examined recently by critical honest people Theso results are Illuminating to pure re ligion that docs Justly and loves mercy In deed no field of thought needs the corrective of the unbiased mind of the scientist more than religion The scientist deals with things as they are Truth alone Is sacred to him The priest or the prophets field are no nearer the God of the universe than the scientists The history of some centuries Is this that the scientist has been nearer the truth thar the church or the clergy For this reason one would rather have a hundred men picked from religious bodies pass Judgment upon It Let us keep In mind that the scientist has Just as Divine a right to examine religions claims of reality as religion has to doubt the sci entists claims of truth One of the primitive traits In our nature decreasing with our evolution Is physical In stability We rend of the stole savage going to the stake without the quiver of a and we say what marvelous physical trol nut travelers tell us this Is not true Primitive people are but nervously organized children The Malays fall very easily Into a trance Natives of Siberia sitting about the campfire are easily alarmed Anything sual throws them to the ground In fits of terror The same true In China among the lower classes Primitive people are un stable They fall prey easily to fear emotion and Imagination In early revivals and even yet In places to lose physical control wns a sure mark of conversion To fall senseless to the floor was one of the signs of the new life This phy sical manifestation was seen among the red skin Shakers and among the Indians The marl of true religion among them was a twitching of the whole body Men spoke of taking It as they would disease This spread among Indian tribes The same was to Indians In the bo seen among the Cherokee South Negroes for Example Among the colored people of the South physical undoing can still bo seen Here Is tho religion of the African tribe transplanted to our own land On this African religion was grafted the superstitious side of popular Chris tianity total loss of physical and mental control Is a sure mark of religion among them They become easily unbalanced They collapse Frenzy and convulsions are not common Sometimes they give a holy dance around the pulpit or the communion table When they reach a certain point of frenzy and exhaustion they drop out This Is a good the Kentucky revival of they talked about the slain The floor of tho church and camp ground were covered with helpless vic tims Such was the poverty of their life that they went for miles to any kind of excitement Whole villages were deserted Here was to be seen the most pitiable condition of physi cal and mental unbalance Around the camp fires at night the preachers worked the people Into terror and they fell like men slain In battle One In every six succumbed Among the Ghost Dance Indians one In every three succumbed This revival In Kentucky copied In Ireland In Hundreds had te be carried Into halls for shelter and lay for hours as dead In Ireland the mental orders of trance and vision prevailed moro than the physical disorders The same results are to bo noted In the Great Awakening New England FInney says that ho could not have overcome them more rapidly If ho had used a sword Johnathan Edwards congre gations are described as n senseless helpless mass before him The conditions under ley In England were as bad or worse In all these cases the primitive traits were taken advantage of the traits of physical and mental Instability This primitive weakness was called pure religion The background of It all Is fear Early peo ple are steeped In It They wore afraid of other people afraid of animals storms and a host of things They were In terror of Imps and ghosts and bad angels and devils and most of all afraid of their God Under the veneer of our civilization you do not have to dig deer to find this primitive religious fear Otherwise brave men are base cowards often In religious things Quacks In state In heal ing In finance and religion have taken ad vantage of these primitive traits Instability suggestibility superstition and uncontrolled emotion and Imagination Religion Not Morality In the early stage of a religion there Is no necessary connection between being good and being religious Religion and morality are not thought of together Do not reproach early religious peoples forcing bad while still ing to be Intensely religious They kept some observances said some prayers end believed a few proper things The counties Kentucky swept by the revival of tire I am told among tthe worst counties today Tho years after the Great Aweakenlng In Now England were the worst years of New England life It has long been known that certain people have control over others In some strange way In early time this was thought to bo supernat ural Tho one possessing this power could control others without touching them This same power Is found even lower than man among some animals To control others In this way argues nothing as to the truth of ones thought or his strength mentally or morally To get this Influence over others certain conditions have to be met Some thing must he suggested repeatedly Two minds must work on the same Idea It makes no special difference whether the Idea Is true or false Tits power has been recognized through tho centuries and used for many dif ferent ends good and bad These conditions are met In whet Is called successful revival Tho personality of the person to the Influenced Is reduced to the lowest terms The Intellect Is put to lied and the will made dependent The doctrine of tho and roans helpless condition suited ad mirably for this reducing process This s hammered In It Is tho law of suggestion raven people well balanced como to really bo love that they are nothing and lost and help esq man with this power can tine nako peoplo believe almost anything Then when reduced to the Imlnnglnary condition of lothlngnoss of dependence and mental des eratlon people Jump at any way of escape J L Hero the doctrine of the atonement Is brought It the Imaginary cure brought In to cure those who have been made to think they are sick Then there is a psychological mo ment when these effects are cumulative and the decision Is made not only that one has the Imaginary sickness but that ho accepts tho euro offered At this phychologlcal mo ment different methods are used Sometimes quiet most effective something Is said It makes no great difference who It Is In the south the speaker says Mesopotamia very dramatically and the effect Is produced t Sometimes it Jesus saves or some such conventional expression Then the exper- Ience of those In the first flush of being saved ono notes again the law of suggestion Drawn out by the speaker It Is soon evident that they all have had Just the same feelings Each one was the worst sinner and tho whole process Is described In a few stock phrases Socrates Just as Good find It really seriously held that there somo rent connection between this power of a speaker and the Christian religion It Is said that to have such power shows tile message Divine This same power was In the world and used centuries before Christianity Mor monism had Its great revivals You can have them In any religion without regard to Its genuineness If a speaker has the power he could secuure tho same results without regard to the historical character used Ono with this power could take the pathetic case of Socrates Ho could describe his stand for truth Then ho could tell of his being con demned and of that last talk when Socrates discoursed nobly on immortality Then ho could tell how ho drank tho hemlock and went to death without tile shadow of u doubt Then tho speaker could at a certain point call for disciples who would bo glad to follow this mart for the truth Socrates Is not the fashion In religion hut his life could be used Just as effectively Whether you say Buddha saves or Mohammed saves or Socrates saves or Jesus saves makes no vital difference These expressions or the doctrines held by the speaker have nothing to do with producing the phenomenon The lawyer uses this same kind of power with a Jury Ills power with the Jury does not depend on whether ho Is a high churchman or an atheist Everyone Is Interested In ranking people good nut ono could never get up any ial excitement In Just trying to male peoplo good Revivals have been dramatic because tile purpose was tho thrilling work of saving souls If that work were real and could be done revivals would bo a thousand times moro dramatic than tho stage Then the revivalist would be like a fireman directing peoplo out of a burning building before It plunged Into the basement would all stand In breathless admiration while he saved them from such a fate That what the vivalist In every community once stood for rind owned the building set It on fire and put the people In It to room This was gen nrally believed strange as It may seem What made the changes What made this fireman rushing people out of the burning building the central figure a greet world tragedy come all at onco the central figure In a com ply It Is because the people have found nut that theology sent In a falsj alarm Tho milling not on fire at all The comedy Is that you cannot make the fireman bellevo here Isnt any fire He goes on Don Quixote ranking Imaginary rescues The test of a religious truth today Is this Continued on page BLUE GRASS BLADE 5 I Open Letter to the God Killers Voice From the Far West Raised In Behalf of Cooperation In Our Effort to Win Lasting Reform By Helen H 1hllbrick Sister Dllven of Materialist Association and Brother Kerr of Church of Humanity I have of late received letters from both desiring assistance in the common cause killing god Now have spent some six thousand dollars of my own in the effort to kill the old monster in the past six years and am still trying This letter is to ask you to cooperate with Brothers Hughes and Charlesworth and the Motherlove Society and thus make one big sweep that being broad inclusive inductive educative not dogmatic save on general principles will knock the basic pillar of the church out and do the work we all want done which is to kill god is It not If it is for personal emulation we work or emulation of our personal ideas we will never succeed for wo know the scientific god human progress is no respector of persons it works wholly with principle can think of nothing finer than the pro posed Scientific Correspondence School be ginning with elucidation of the distinguish- Ing features of organic and inorganic matter which of course leads the whole school to find the truth about god I love scientific research I know too from my acquaint ance with the editor of the Blade that ho and his cooperating worker Charles worth will never attempt to take out a patent on the conduct of the school I believe they will work In the true cooper ative spirit which will be to develop some thing so broad comprehensive and complete that it will claim and hold the attention of every humanitarian In the whole army of reform from Socialist to capitalist I do not believe they will refuse advices from the leading scientists of the world when some lame Idea they may be advocating Is proven to be lame by more advanced and better authorized data Nor do I believe they will care to take out a patent on the Instructor ship or Management I believe they are merely as we all are trying from the humanitarians standpoint to do away with that which prevents all humanitarianism and It we are will wo not make the effort a success by cooperation Competition cannot succeed Cooperation Is in the very air we breathe and cooperation on the material plane will never bo accomplished till humanitarians cooperate on tho edu cative and outgeneral the ancient craft of priests which devised tho plan to turn tho ancient cooperative brotherhood of man Into the Military Despotism with god at its head to give the divine rights of capture human slavery and with god at the head of the church to protect the family which human capture destroyed according to the Inherent principle of the nature of human slaveryI respectfully submit to the readers of Peoples Press Truth about God and the Blade the Implements of Var on god which the Motherlovo Society espouses I trust every reader will see their force ful ness and power to usurp the usurper the betrayer the deceiver the Great Highway Robber god That is they will if taken up In connection with some grand scientific school like that proposed by Brothers Hughes and Charlesworth- I now want every loving friend enrolled on sister Blivens register and also on that of Brother Kerr to seriously consider whether the idea of consolidation of forces Is not best as I propose for the Correspondence School and also whether that school will not be wise to give a kindly mention now and then of the individual effort and Ideal of the Motherlovo Society In union there is strength and when we know the terrible mad houses are full of agony beyond the power of a Dante to por tray that it can never be stopped till we will stand for those elthics that alone can make possible cooperation in the material supplies can we refuse to put away the insignificant personal egotism that prevents cooperation STICK TO THE TEXT Some Reasons Why Freethought Srould Not Mix With Socialism Uy John F Clarke Webster Groh complains of my advoca tlon of Socialism In tho Blade and says that would accept a large share of the goods tho world I really think that I have reverted to Socialism less frequently than has friend Groh Personally I should rather the Blade cluded all but Its legitimate work Freethought but lltul no fault with either Socialists nor Capitalists Friend Groh exposes his limited grasp of tile Socialist propaganda What would accept has nothing to do with my advo cating a system by which an equitable oppor tunity would be vouchsafed every man and woman In the Industrial Friend Groh should welcome a chance to make pauperism next to Impossible A man can not properly enjoy the things of life when ho knows that the accident that throws them to him takes them out of the reach of deserving thousands think that friend Grow has preconcelved an evil Idea of tho scope of Socialism and refuses to Investigate further Socialism Is largely humanitarian In scope It Is material In makeup and consequently will successful strike a powerful blow at religious organization It recognizes that nil religions aril the outcome of Industrialism and mean that the servant must obey tho master lick the hand that smites and ba content and hopo to become a master In timeand smite others Do to others as you have been done by future reward for present services If friend Groh would study the basic tory and ethnology of Socialism ho would lad that It Is materialistic to the core There nothing spiritual In It It will eliminate ploitation and tho employer need not be ashamed to look tho employee In tho face All obligation will ho cancelled In cqultu worth exchanged for worth Capital Is an occident labor Is a factor It all laborers were changed over night Into capitalists body would starve for the disgust of the sys tem must ho upheld and capitalists must not work for wages They may graft for graft Garfield said I love children for the possi hlllties In them Every boy may become President and every girl a princess do Sagan but they dont some how Socialism does not hold out rash prom ises hut desires to level the lowest upward and the highest downward until classism wiped out We can not create Intellectual equality but we can and will improve the con dition by giving an opportunity to cultivate the mind If tho whole available working force is employed at short hours enough will be produced to furnish the world with products and If properly distributed every one will be In comfort economically speaking do not expect to write anything more upon Socialism for the Blade as Socialists have their organs and know how to grind them and make Socialistic grist The Blade Is a Freethought paper and should stick to Its text know that there are many freethinkers who detest Socialism and I do not care to quarrel with them I can make the freethought top spin without a Socialistic cord We should not offend honest freethinkers with extraneous matter DAVES LETTER To His Dear Heavenly Father No Copyright applied for by Franklin II Head My Dear Heavenly Father I heard a man say the other day that bibles are Retting pretty damned cheap now would you call that blasphemy Papa says It is not tho man can prove It and papa a lawyer He thinks the man can prove It He bot a lot of them for cents a piece and sold them for 100 by advertising them as an page leather bound book full of rich and racy stories and sold lots of them to preachers Vf T U women postolilcc Inspectors and such Where were you when Jesus was borned In the stable Dont you think you ought to of been there Was he really born on Christ mas day or did you Just put him In Marys stocking for a Joque Papa has a lot of pic tures of tho stable and party and all the ant mals but they are all different rind nobody would think they were the same lot except our Joe They all look alike to him The whole things Is a sorlass matter to Joe There all kinds of animals there so cant tell whether It a place for calves horses sheep lungs chickens or donkeys Thoro are all kinds of men and ho animals the pictures but Mary Christ tho only female there She dont seem to be worried The old sheepherd ers from the desert ore looking at him Undo Joseph the next stall where It not very light Ho dont look very pleasant eye thur Do you know what ho was mad about Did they start for Egypt as soon as Mary could ride the Burro Was that the Burro she road In tho next stall to Joseph Was It their Burro or did they take It for Christs sake Is It heaven now Docs It havo wings Could ride It If I went there Ill bet Rose volt could ride It If there was a crowd looking As ever DAVE PAIR TO DRAW TO The London Freethinker In Its Acid Drops says Italsull the Morrocco brigand Is described In Answers by the manager of the band per forming at thelxnulon Hippodrome as a good a holy a deeply religious man And why not Wo put tho question to Christians David was a good holy and deoplyrellcloiu man and he was a bandit too 6 BLUE GRASS BLADE 1 Current Comment on Public Events f- Y N N NNNNNHNHHHH NNNHNNNNNHNNNT T T T T With the Question of stricter divorce laws still an Issue among the churchmen with the preachers well In the lead It is to be observed that not all the representatives of the pulpit are willing to practice that which they so ardently preach The student of sociology will readily admit that man Just as naturally turns to polygamy as the hellanthus docs toward the sun Mon ogamy seems to violate the law of his being This principle is found to exist with the clergy as with the laity Reports are being constantly given by the dally newspapers anent the short comings of the clerical profession where the opposite sex Is Involved and the latest comes by way of Chicago to the effect that one Charles Shaver a Methodist minister having a wife granted by the sanction of legal authority by due license was not content therewith and accumulated a collection of four afllnl ties with whom he has whiled away many a tedious hour by the chanting of love songs in the most dulcet strains The parsons wife not his alllnltles discovered the quadruple duplicity of her spouse and forthwith Instituted divorce proceedings the name of the plaint iff therein being given as Lucy D Shaver The plaintiff does not hesitate to relate all the known facts In the case for she specifies the names of these alllnltles with as much clearness as she can and gives them as be ing Mrs Lambert Mrs Mitchell Clara and Kittle These constitute the roll of dishonor according to the wifes notions and they are made factors In the proceedings that are to follow Mrs Shaver bases her action upon a number of love notes she had accidentally dis covered It had been written by Rev Shaver to Kittle and Is reported as being of a sizzling kind It said to be both burning and ardent and it has brought a termination to the present matrimonial arrangement of Mrs Shaver- It would seem that as Rev Shaver was not IInbishop in the church ho had construed the Inhibition and restriction to one wife to apply to bishops only and not to those holding clerical positions lower In degree And In spite of this with all the publication ac corded to It other preachers will continue to prate about religion and morality but with a mind sot upon a declination to practice what they preach it If our readers will pardon a further refer ence to tho same subject discussed In the preceding paragraph mention might be made of the case of Rev Dr Charles L Goodell pastor of Calvary church In New York who has Just been refused and denied nn election to the olllco of bishop because of his alleged former Hasans with the female sex It re ported that preacher Goodell was far away In the lead among the several candidates for the position of bishop to be elected by the Confer ence when those opposing him and probably spired by ono or more 5of candidates against him sprung before the members of the Conference that some time In the past date not given Rev Goodell had been named as the corespondent In a sensational divorce proceeding and It was urged that this dbl iiuallfled him from such an important office In the church His stock for tho bishopric took J Z a big drop and It fell with such violence that all present could painfully hear It He candidly admitted that he had been divorced from his first wife and that his name was used in the manner Indicated In another and still later divorce proceeding Tho case mentioned was that of Theodore W Foster against Mary T Foster These parties lived at Providence II I The hus band was given a divorce upon the grounds stated In his petition In spite of this the conference in which Pastor Goodell was work Ing gave him an endorsement and allowed him to continue preaching Without being guilty of repetitions we can but once more suggest that religion and morality are still exceedingly far apart Our readers are doubtless all familiar with the horrible discovery that has Just been made in Indiana where a woman said to be a Mrs Gunness turned out to be a multiplied mur deress and the authorities are now in serious doubt whether she be now living or dead In spite of the womans predilections for such atrocious crimes she was none the less a good church member consistent In her sacred duties and occupied a front seat in the Meth odist Episcopal church at Laporte every meet Ing Her children atended the Sunday school and she was to all intents and purposes an Ideal Christian woman a true and faithful church member and a contributor to the Christian cause This exceedingly tainted money deliberately stolen from the clothing of her numerous victims found Its way Into the church coffera was used for Christian pur poses and probably aided in an extension of the cause being a devout believer she has of course managed to get purified before tak ing on Immortality and now supposed to safely and snugly esconsced up near the throne of the Most High Of course she knew she was doing wrong in committing murder but being familiar with the text that telleth that While the lamp holds out to burn Tire vilest sinner may return andThere more joy In heaven over one sinner who repenteth and is saved than ninety and nine who are righteous she managed to carry on her profession until the last moment and she was safe in dodging hells pains On the contrary she would be sure to Join Chester Gillette and what a splendid time they could have together save that Mrs Gunness would be able to brag the most because of a much better record Is It not tlmo that come of the ultrapious took n tumble and opened the switch so as to get off tho main track for kingdom come From Charlotte North Carolina comes the report that a Christian evangelist and his wife Mr and Mrs J Schuman of Pennsyl vania were invited to shake the dust of Len olr In the same state from their feet be cause of the stubborn propensity and per sistency of Mrs Schuman for kissing negroes In the mouth The first time she performed this osculatory demonstration the white peoplef fthenation was roused to such a pitch that violence was threatened them unless they left town Instunter which they did For a white woman to kiss negroes on the lips Is not a crime per se and it must bo placed as an act that comes within the cat egory of simple taste If Mrs Schuman pre ferred kissing negroes it was her right and privilege to indulge In the pastime to her hearts content If Mr Schuman wished to kiss his wife immediately thereafter and thus get the aroma secondhanded It was also his privilege to do so and we seriously question tho right of any class of citizens to Interfere with them in the exercise thereof Wo have read somewhere on probably heard it re ported that some old woman once kissed a cow as a mere matter of taste and it may be that Mrs Schuman was denied the priv ilege of kissing white folks and being over stocked with osculatory desires some avenue had to be found for her to let loose her pro pensities This kissing business is usually claimed by the male preacher ns a religious prerogative but this is a rare case and Mrs Schumnn will soon find It out to her cost probably when it Is too late Religious worship may be all right In its place and altogether permissible provided the demonstrations made are not accompanied with too much noise For many years that religious craze or scheme known as the Salvation Army has been In the habit of holding street meetings at which the most hideous noises were manufactured Musical instruments and big drums to say nothing of tamborlncs In tho hands of amateurs the tooting of trom bones by persons who know not how to toot attempted singers who cannot sing may please god but It has not always pleased men and women who are compelled much against their will to hear It all It Is a known fact that In many cities these Salvation Army meetings have been ordered to make a change in loca tion and now Lexington has Joined tho ranks This city fortunately or unfortunately is blessed or cursed with two Salvation Armies One Is known as the English organization and owes its allegiance to General Booth of Lon don contributing a per centum of the cash they are able to collect to headquarters The other branch styles itself the American Or ganization and is peculiarly at home in the United States The meetings held by each have brought them Into serious conflict The police and the Mayor of the City had to be called upon to interfere The complaints made were nil over the collection of cash and not concerned with tho saving of souls One com plained that the other was trading upon Its name and collecting cash Intended for the other struggle would take place for loca istingdirectly front of tho Phoenix Hotel and the two factions would meet one sifter the other each struggling to get in first on the ground floor and for hours each night tho guests at the hotel were wearied with the continual beating of the drums the blowing of horns slinking and rattling tamborlnes and the like At last so persistent did these religious fan atics become that the hotel authorities were compelled to order both to stay away and keep clear of the hotel basing such orders upon complaints made by guests In some Instances the Salvation Army may be doing a fairly good work and to the extent that one human being Is lifted out of the gutter that much good Is done To the extent that human wants are f BLUE GRASS BLADE 7 relieved and even but partially gratified even more good Is done but the frIghtful noise which they call music for gods glory does not permit the other to become u satisfactory com pensation therefor x Another serious question arises here Is the Salvation Army doing good One of Its cus toms Is to collect articles of clothing food etc for the alleged purpose of distributing them among tho poor and needy but the writer hereof Is In u position to know that such not done Only a few months ago we employed an old man and his wife to do the work about the house and garden A few days after their arrival we were surprised to see the man ar rayed In a Salvation Army outfit with cap and uniform and sally forth to atend meeting In tho course of time the work was neglected In order that they could attend the meetings Ono night they returned home and the man displayed an overcoat two other coats for general wear and similar articles of clothing Tho women exhibited about ten waists of different patterns and styles n number of dresses and skirts which gave her a wardrobe superior to any other In tho house In ex planation of their posesslon of so many articles they said that the clothing lied been given tho Salvation Army by different people of the city for distribution among tho needy poor but that the captain felt that their own soldiers ought to bo taken care of first and from that moment we were next to tho graft Sufllce It to say that upon their leav ing but not until several days thereafter articles of value were missed from tho houso and they are now lost somewhere In the moun tain regions of Kentucky While church meetings all over the country Including methodIst conferences and presbyte rlan synods are denouncing tho saloon and tho liquor tralllo generally us an evil per sc It Is Interesting to note that the Jewel of consistency does not rest upon their head gear for that which they are so anxious to deny to others by law is held to bo Just and proper for themselves According to published reports from Traverse City Michigan tho Womans Foreign Mission ary Society under tho Michigan conference has by vote duly taken and registered de cided that its members may drink punch to their hearts content without being brought under the Jane of tho church And this meeting was made up principally of women too Tho Issue brought out a bitter fight Many of the women It Is said objected to the use of tho punch declaring that liquor was an obstruction to gods plan but the jority voted tho other way and now tho good ladles of Methodist Missionary Society may Imbibe to their hearts content and success fully dodge criticism for sodoing So tile ladles bless them must have their punch The Blade would not deny them such an esti mable privilege but we do Insist that when they agree upon n use of tho corn juice In which moonbeams have been dissolved for themselves that they impart n little of that same freedom and right to others by refusing to endorse and stand for absolute prohibition The Iritton like religion Is only Intended for the other fellow Claiming Jurisdiction In matters of religion both over this world and tho next tho Pres byterian Synod meeting In Philadelphia hits seen fit to lift an embargo from tile corpse or soul of n dead preacher Tile facts In tile case are that some years ago Rev W Wood side formerly a preacher In Pit tllburg was suspended from the ministry because of his adulations with the higher critics In other words ho was generally supposed to bo too heictlcal In his construction of things sacred to please tho pious gang and he was cut oft from communion Ills congregation still held with him and remained with him until ho died Then camo another preacher and the newcomer managed to get the church rein stated and In good working order Seven years has passed since the former preacher died and upon tho request of tho members of his old congregation the Synod has raised the embargo previously placed on him and though dead It has restored him to good stand Ing In tile church Following such action the soul of the dead preacher If ho over had one must now be released from suspicion In tho heavenly helr nrchy We must Infer that prior to this action he was simply allowed to hang about the gates of tile New Jerusalem Indulging In an occasional chat with the keeper thereof never allowed to even get a peep inside being held on probation until his release came Seven years of probation being regarded as long enough for any soul to undergo a test for tho right of glory in heaven the Synod has graciously consented to open the gates for him rind permit him to enter upon Its recom mendation nut what a farce It worse than stage comedy Think of tho terrible fate In store for that soul had not the Synod gra ciously consented to restore him to the minis try seven years after his death Can It be possible that tile Synod has come to his way of thinking No Indeed let the thought perish for the rule of orthodoxy Is to move forward backwards with its face ever to the past and It Is only another dose of that liberal Chris tian charity applied when It everlastingly too late What next Now comes a socalled re ligious vaudeville in an effort to win souls for Jesus Prayer Is to be cut out of the program and the agony on the cross must take a back sent Calvary no longer appeals to the human heart and mind so Rev Nets Matheson a Christian evangelist to do a new stunt with a travelling menagerIe as a method of enticing a few spare dollars from the pockets of his congregation Innumerable schemes have been laid to dodge honest labor but this caps the climax Reports from Teenah Wisconsin state that the preacher named herein Is lint upon tour Ing the state with a gospel tent and that ho carries with him as a part of his outfit a fullblooded Iggorote fresh from the Philip pines a cage of live monkeys and a fake mlndrondoi to entertain his audiences The Iggorote to give a sample of the forms of worship prevalent among his people The keys will be expected to chatter during tho singing of hymns while tile mindreader is to bo used to guess at the amount of cash each member of tile congregation has his or her pocket so that evangelist may know whether they are contributing according to their respective means The mindreader will also bo able to tell whether a genuine conver sion has been made or whether tile confcs sion merely a makobellove lie might go a little further and predict which of tho re gions above or below the suppliant Is des tined to Inhabit In the hereafter Tile dls patches state that tho evangelist has bei stowed upon his outfit tho appclatlon of re ligious vaudeville a proceeding altogether tin necessary for tho whole business but a continuous vaudeville from start to finish Falling to win the people by tho Inherent virtue that orthodoxy supposed to possess something now must be Invented to attract them and this is one of the latest The Ig gorote tho monkeys and other animals will be just as capable of extending saving grace to souls In despair ns the preacher but the difficulty u get tho people to look at It In that Religious professions now depend upon the size of tile golden pile they can draw Af ter the whole of a persons life has been spent In devoutly worshipping according to the Cath olic ritual and obeying the rules of that form of fanaticism a few paltry dollars In sight are capable of turning the heart and causing an ncceptaipo of Protestantism The world now knows that Madame Gould has obtained a divorce from Bonl Castellano the dapper little Frenchman who managed to get away with a fair portion of her Income The world also knows that Prince de Sagan a cousin of Madams former spouse Is anxious to bestow his worthless title upon the fair divorcee In the hope of getting a chance at the Gould fortune himself In spite of oftre peated denials It now stated that Madame Gould will wed the French Prince and that the latter a Catholic will renounce his faith and has agreed to be married by some Prot estant minister In fact he agrees to anything that will bring him In close communion with Mndamos millions What does It matter con cerning the fate of his Immortal soul so long he gets tho cash It a far easier mat ter to turn a cold shoulder upon Christ through the Vatican than to let such a glorious chance get past him for a royal good time upon the money of another Hut If religion Is something that can be taken and then discarded for a new form Just like changing garments the time may soon be here when the people will be able to realize that they can get along better without any religion than they do now with so much of It Mrs J Livingston of St Louis has been sued for divorce by her Irate liege Isaac The lady In the case is alleged to be the Inventor ess of a new fangled religious notion which designed and calculated to abolish poverty from the earth The tired husband does not view the subject In exactly the same light In his petition for divorce after setting up tho necessary allegations showing why tho marriage bonds should be dissolved ho asserts that his misled wife continues to follow the precepts of her religion as per schedule Instead of poverty being relegated to a back sent In some uninhabited wilderness It will continue to hover close to tile hearthstone of his domlcillan edifice by reason of his wifes sudden fondness for handsome and expensive clothing The lady we are told styles her religion under the alluring title of Practical Christianity or In the Silence wo are led Wo should Judge that there Is any practicality to any form of religion the lady In this case ought to have discovered It by her familiarity with tho silence and it Is ob served that It Just this part of tho schedule to which tile husband flies serious objection In other words by bringing suit for divorce ho shown to have rebelled nt the prospect of being tho silence led Into further debt by his wifes stated extravagances Tho hid den meaning the name may bo that the man expected to be kept In silence while tho wife leads a merry chase masquerading under the name of practical Christianity Con sidering tile fact that St Paul Insisted that tho woman should keep silence tho man not to bo blamed for taking such a course especially If ho bo a believer Pauls doc trines 8 BLUE GRASS BLADE BLUE GRASS BLADE KyFounded by him until his death February JAMES E HUGHES Publisher and Manager JOHN CHARLESWORTH Editor 1268 N KyPSUBSCRIPTION RATES By mall postpaid 150 per year in advance Five new yearly subscribers at one remittance 100 each Five trial subscriptions sent In with one remittance for six months cents each Trial subscriptions cents per month Foreign subscriptions postpaid 200 per year ADVERTISING RATES One Inch single column Insertion cents one month or four Insertions 100 six months 500 one year 800 Quarter column single Insertion 200 one month 400 six months 2000 one year 3000 Half column whole column or larger advertisements at special rates upon application The publisher has the right to reject any and all advertisements offered GENERAL BUSINESS RULES ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS to the Blado will bo discontinued at the expiration of the term for which the subscription has been paid up In advance The address slip on the paper will show sub scribers the date of expiration of subscription Back numbers or numbers omitted will be sent If asked for upon renewal In case of dlsclntlnuance SHOULD ANY StHSCIUBEIl change his or her address advise this olllce giving both old and new address as desired THE OFFICE of publication of the Blade at 12G1I8 North Lime stone Street Lexington Kentucky to which all Freethinkers will be given a hearty welcome THE BLADE Is enterd nt the PostoIHco at Lexington Kentucky ns Becondclnss mailing matter ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE BLUE GRASS BLADE P Box Lexington Ky HOTBEDS OF INFIDELITY findIbeing made that many of them omit religious instruction from their constantly expanding curriculum But why do young men and young women attend a college or university What is the primary object js it to acquire a broader and higher education Or do they expect to imbibe the fairy tales of fictional theology and emerge from these institutions veritable paragons in orthodox beliefs I If the latter consti tuted the sole or prompting motive then might every educational institution in the country be wiped out of existence in the interest of the common good Prof C B Clark of the chair of philosophy and education at the Alfred University Illinois makes a bitter protest through the columns of Unity a religi ous organ of this lack of religious consideration in that institution He insists that the nation has gone faster in freedom than it has in moral adjustment and uch an admission brands his own orthodox views as being a most dismal failure considering the influence they are yet supposed to exercise upon all matters affecting public policy It may be true that in the old regime when orthodoxy held unquestioned sway the conversion of the student was the primary office of the college and his successful education was but a secondary matter In these days of practical lJJ J ru things however the student revolts at any attempt to cram religion upon him and demands only that which he entered the college to acquire an education in the fullest sense of the tCl1nrro merely convert a man does not mean to educate him Most converts grow into grovelling fanatics Realizing this the parents of students enter decided objections against any sort of religious environment that tends to cripple the opportunities of their sons and daughters in ob taining thateducation The complaint made leads one to infer that American colleges exhibit a delinquency in both moral and religious tendencies This inference is derived only by confounding religion with morality Accepting morality in its highest sense and religion as commonly understood and accepted in these days and they are both entirely separate and distinct Morality definedras being the highest possible happiness to the highest possible numbers and religion being merely a formal matter of faith there can be nothing in common bet ween them and the complainant thus gets switched off to the wrong track to occupy any place of importance in a discussion of this character Among other things coming from him we quote the following utterance We read that one university president said that he would not dare to call his three thousand students together for compulsory religious exercises of the most general character since lie feared the effect of such a move upon the legislature and his appropria tionsThe name of the institution or the president are not given But it can be no mean sort of a university that can boast three thousand students and the mere fact that this president dare not insist upon compulsory religious services because he dreaded the action of the legislature is a potent sign of the times and furnishes strong proofs of the drift of the public mind concerning any sort of religious exercises being given by educational institutions ofas public character State legislatures are elected by the people and are looked upon as representing the majority Under our political system legislative assemblies are just what the people make them Sometimes they go astray but as a rule they are expressive of the will of the majority Admitting the truth of the statement quoted above it can only be accepted as being indica tive of the will of the people in the state where that university is located and will it not be a foolish un dertaking for Prof Clark to either make complaint or attempt to bring about a change Continuing the subject Prof Clark says There is a more or less general feeling too among I BLUE GRASS BLADE 9 a largo proportion of our population that our col leges and universities are hotbeds of infidelity There is considerable feeling that the average college pro lessor teaches a more or less disguised form of infidel ity insinuating with his regular instruction more or less irreligion and spiritual poison Although this is a truthwe did not ex 1pect a theologian to admit it and he gives case away The Blade does not doubt that a vast number of the people look upon colleges and universities in the same light And yet going further we are to assume that the average college professor is a fullfledged infidel minus re ligion minus faith and all too anxious to instil his infidel notions into the minds of his pupils This is much better than we had anticipated and the Blade expresses an ardent and sincere wish that it might be true The influence that education exerts upon re ligion is one of intelligence only An intelligent man cannot be superstitious A religious man is full of superstition This will explain in a measure why so much infidelity comes front the college class rooms Education is destructive of religion It must be Not that any particular effort is made in that direction but because it is the natural bent and trend The religion of an educated man must always be of a very questionable character Infidelity relies solely upon education in its battle against orthodoxy and a now wo have a religious professor conceding the ground and making a practical surrender into our hands FREETllOUGUT ORGANIZATION By the time this issue of the Blade is in the hands of its readers we can safely presume that the pro posed Church of Humanity under course of organi zation by W II Kerr of Great Bend Kim and those associated with him will have become a fact in the current history of Freethought Every organization of this character is indicative ofanother forward step in tho direction of human progress in that the Church is to be made exclusively of men and women who have not merely renounced a belief in tho existence of god but as its application blanks demand they must declare that all gods ghosts and devils are mere fabulous beings and have never enjoyed an actual existence In a measure the organization is expcrimentivo Its success ultimate or present must altogether depend upon its propa ganda Given tho needed encouragement and support there is no good reason or excuse why tho organization should not be made a success As its membership are and must be fearless in the expression of beliefs and disbeliefs and assuming the same fearlessness in goodinput to work the objective should be attained Front an impartial investigation of the objects of the organization they are nothing further than a declaration of belief in and a purpose to propagate the pholosophy of materialism As the materialistic philosophy is not new thousands adhering thereto it organizationitselimands entertained and promulgated by other and older societies precisely the same principles have boon taught as those now to be undertaken by the Churchof Humanity The American Secular Union and before it the National Liberal League and fol lowing it the Freethought Federation of America and still later the National Liberal Party allstood for taught and disseminated the same phase of ma terialism and these included a disbelief in god or a future conscious life Tile moment a man or woman stands upon that ground no matter the cause the ef fect of the belief or unbelief is all that the Churchtof Humanity could call for in spite of the oftrepeated assertion that its declaration of membership principles go somewhat further- It is claimed however that a discovery has been beingsliabulousdiscovered for there is nothing to discover about it The truths of science aided by the light of natural philosophy with convincing force lead to the conclusion that there is no such thing or being as god or gods and it is up to the believer in the gods to prove the truth of their position while it is not requiredof the unbeliever that he should undertake to prove a negative If god cannot be proven ho she or it is improvon There is nothing further to know about the subject This is precisely the posi tion of the Atheist in contradistinction to that of the Theist The Theist says god exists The Atheist demands proof The Theist is unable to give it He reiterates his belief and supposes that ends the matter The Atheist still stands unmoved by mere expressions of belief and continues to demand one solitary fact tending to prove god In the absence of such proof the Atheist occupies his negative attitude and must remain there for there is no other intelli gent or logical course for him to pursue The intelligent reader will now be able to perceive tho distinction between Atheism and Agnosticism The latter is but a confession of ignorance and to all 10 BLUE GRASS BLADE questions pertaining to the existence or nonexistence of deity he answers that he does not know The Atheist goes further and acknowledges that lie does not believe it During the past few months so the Blade is informed futile efforts liave been made to amalgamate the Church of Humanity the Materialist Association and probably kindred societies As both stand for precisely the same ideas beliefs unbeliefs declara tions and principles it would have furnished a more decided opportunity for a combination of the working forces of all materialists could such a combination have been effected As matters now stand the dif ferent organizations will eachcontinue to labor in their respective spheres doing the best of which they are capable The Blade expresses a profound hope that all may meet with success but in a divided house each side clamoring for members and patronage the sinews of war and the warriors themselves will by necessity strive against each other whereas a combination would have brought them all together to concentrate their efforts against the common foesuperstition- and priestcraft MANS ORIGIN AND DESTINY If a person does not know or has not the means at his or her command for finding out and believing that the desired knowledge can be obtained from another by making inquiry the wisest course is to ask for it This is the art of investigation If the first answer thus obtained is not satisfactory then pursue the inquiry further and while no two answers thus given may bo precisely similar in every minutiu the inquirer may be allowed to take a little from one and a little from another until he has been able to formulate a conclusion that shall appear reasonable and satis factoryFrom several different sources the Blade has been urgently requested to continue and if possible to enlarge upon its efforts ill offering brief treatises upon naturestudies as a means of imparting useful Knowledge to its readers These requests are oppor tune They betray an earnest desire for truth and the Blade will readily acquiesce therein as far as its capabilities and possibilities will permit In a previous issue we took occasion to give a brief outline of the origin of our planet as scientific investi gation has been able to produce the necessary data which was given in response to a question propounded bya critic As far as that description went it appears to have been acceptable but the same writer in a JH L more recent communication has the following to say Granting that the origin of the planet itself may have been as you undertook to describe yet it does not explain how sentient life appeared thereon nor does it attempt to account for the origin of man or deal with his future destiny Even science must admit that the inventive genius of man and his elaborate mentality establishes a clear line of demarcation be tween the human family and the rest of the animal kingdom Neither does it explain life or what makes even grass grow There is some truth in the criticism thus offered but only to the extent that in the article referred to no attempt was made to deal with the issue as it is here presented The subject is of too vast a scope and it was not contemplated when we undertook to present our previous article on the origin of the globe Our sole purpose at that time was to show that science had a reasonable and more satisfactory answer to the question there dealt with to offer than can be found in any of the known systems of theology and to this end it would seem that the answer we gave met the occa sion But the question now raised is altogether dif ferent It is in and belongs to another department or departments of scientific research Just as As tronomy and Geology have exploded the mythical creation of the Bible so does Biology and Chemistry combine to disprove the theory that man is a specially created being In attempting to discuss this issue we must confess that it can only he brief because of the limited time and space at command All life no matter the degree is exhibited only un der certain well recognized and admittedconditions One of these conditions is the presence of a physical basis This basis is called protoplasm It is found in all living bodies and repeated experiments have shown that it is identical in all Protoplasm is de fined as a viscid transparent homogeneous minutely granular and albuminoid matter Life is inseparable irons this protoplasm It remains dormant however unless excited by some external stimulants such as heat light food water and oxygen The known facts as here given are sufficient to prove the necessity of a physical basis for the mani festations of life Minus the necessary basis there are no manifestations ergo no life We can only know life through these repeated manifestations hence life is but a mere result of mechanical and chemical combinations and when these combinations change there must follow a changed result Scientific research has indisputably shown that there are no independent members of existence All things touch one upon another The vegetable could hT fV IBLUEGRASSBLADE 11 not exist without the mineral and without animals there was no need for vegetables Neither could the animal life exist without the vegetable life It has also been been conclusively shown that nature brought forth no animal life until the conditions were ripe for its subsistence and multiplication The biologist can take no cognizance of the exist ence of a supposed independent principle whose mys terious union with the animal body causes it to live mid whose separation therefrom leaves it to die To the biologist all life is a system of functions or the stun total of living phenomena Chemistry comes to the aid of the biological view and by repeated experiments has demonstrated the absolute necessityof chemical union or affinity in the production of living phenomena Light heat and moisture are all essential to life whether plant or animal Even a blade of grass cannot grow without soil Given the soil it must also Naive light heat and moisture for development Hence a grain of sand tI drop of rain and the tip of a parlor match are equally as important as the blade of grass itself for without these aids the grass would not and could not be Coming to the origin of animal life however and its development on our globe reliance is placed upon the experiments of that eminent chemist Prof Faraday These have shown that all animal life originated in water Every school child knows today that in all nature there is no such thing as pure water Take the chemical formula II 02 we have pure water but while the chemist is capable of producing pure water by artificial processes we know it not as a natural production Even rain water is not pure water in that it invariably contains the element known as carbon which is gathered from the atmosphere School children also know that drinking water even after infiltration is not pure and that it contains innumerable animalcule of miseroscopic form Many of them have been positively startled at the frightful forms revealed in water by the microscope These facts led Prof Faraday to conduct a series of experi ments with water which may be briefly summarized as follows A quantity of ordinary drinking water was subject to intense heat After this process of sterilization it was reasonably inferred that the animalcule it had previously contained had been destroyed Three jars were filled with this water and each jar was immediately hermetically sealed One was opened on the ground slightly above the sea level and after being exposed to time light and heat for twentyfour hours it was upon examination found to be teeming with animal life again The second jar was carried to the top of a high tower with the same result except the life thus obtained was different and fewer in specie The third jar was taken to a higher altitude above the timber line on a high mountain where even Vegetable life could not exist and upon investigation after exposure there was not a vestige of animal life to be found Front these experiments and numerous others of a similar character the conclusion was reached that all animal life had its origin in the waters that came to cover so large a portion of the earth True indeed it was a mere insect life myriads of which couldnot have been seen with the naked eye As ages rolled on the species increased in number size and strength All were however confined to water for the means of subsistence and propagation The land was not ready to receive or nourish them Some managed at later period when means of locomotion had developed to creep out upon the land Doubtless many were forced out by conditions they could not control such as volcanic eruptions and upheavals that are known to have changed the conditions and conforma tion of the earths crust At the first sudden change or transition many unable to survive the shock would undoubtedly perish while the fittest or strongest survived to propagate their kind Changedconditions brought changed results Land animals were now in existence for in their classification insects no matter how small are denominated animals Ages progressed said from these small beginnings came and developed animals of a large and different type adapted to the land some partaking of both land and water until mammals or warm blooded animals appearedand lastly came man But our critic speaks of inventive genius and elaborate mentality probably forgetting that these are but mere qualities acquired after a slow and pain ful process extending over vast periods of time Primitive man was a vastly dissimilar being to man as we know him As a matter of fact there is more differ ence between the man of today and primitve man than there is between time latter and the highest order of aperlhe theologian is unwilling to acknowledge this fact because it is utterly destructive of his theory of special creation and puts god out of the business The origin of man being identical with that of the whole animal world ho can have no higher destiny Is it not written that man hath no preeminence over a beast and if the bibliologists are willing to accept this version of the question the issue of origin and destiny is forever disposed of BLADEI12 BLUE GRASS Neoplatonism Continued from last seek Philo Judeos was born near the beginning of the first century at Alexandria of most wealthy and aristocratic parents He received a liberal education and became deeply bued with the Platonic philosophy Ills in fluence on Christianity was enormous There was no Christianity so called In his day The first verse of the Gospel of St John Is from Philo Many of his valuable works are lost Eusebius Phamphllus the ecclesiastical his torian and from whom all our knowledge of early Christianity Is derived quotes largely from Philo and believed he was a Christian yet Philo wrote years before Jesus began his ministry Eusebius In his quotations from Philo tells us that Phllo belonged to a relig ious community which had pretended to have apostolic fathers They also used scriptures they believed to bo inspired which Eusebius himself believed to be none other than the substance of our gospels and they used the same order In performing public worship They also had colonies or communities established In different parts of the country which Euse bius tells us in hIs sacred book of history answered to every circumstance described of the state and discipline of the first community of Christians to the letter Now this tion was nothing new In Phlloe time but of then long established notoriety yet Philo who wrote before Josephus and gave this particular description of the Essenes and Therapeutao Buddhist communities of Egypt and what was afterwards called Christianity when Jesus if ever such a person had ever existed was not above ten years of age and at least fifty years before the existence of any Christian whiting whatever has never once given out the remotest hint that he had ever heard of the existence of Christianity Jesus or Chris tians Writing about this 16th chapter of Eusebius Whiston says The Therapeutae mentioned by Philo seem to have been those first chrIstian Ascetics who were converted from the Jews chiefly Egypt soon after our Saviours passion before the coming of Mark thither and to have both Imperfectly understood and practiced the Christian religion Eusebius Eplplmnlus and Jerome plainly take them for Christians and their sacred ancient mystical books are supposed to be the gospels and epistles of the new testament The mod ern critics are entirely puzled about these Therapeutae and yet are not willing monly to believe them Christians Why should any one be willing to believe these people were Christians before Jesus was heard ot The truth Is they were Buddhists without a doubt as their practices and beliefs Indi cated Buddhist missionaries wero all over the world preaching their doctrines centuries before our era Jerome says in his life of Mark He went with his gospel Into Egypt and there constituted a church that he was so remarkable in his abstemiousness of his life that he obliged all tits converts to follow his example Insomuch that Philo the most eloquent of all of the Jewish writers when ho saw the first church at Alexandria still ob serving the Jewish customs thought It would be to the honor of Ills nation to write a book concerning their way of life and as Luke says the Christians at Jerusalem had all things In common so he relates thait was at andria under Marks Instructions What an InsJBjiouf covering of tile facts In the case This tiusMfen was a hard one for the church apologists for hundreds of years and all kinds of patching were In order Phllo as I said elsewhere says nothing of any church of Mark at Alexandria or of any other church nor does ho once mention the Christians In that connection or any other for the very simple reason tat thero were none Waite says There Is in fact no historical evidence at ull reliable in the lust century Taylor says The first reliable Information on this sub ject is In the letter of Emperor Hadrian to Sorvlanus This Servianus was counsul D The letter Is preserved by Voplscus who wrote about D and who took it from the books of Phlegon the historian who was a freedman of Hadrian From this epistle it appears that the religion of the Chris tians was so crude that Christ and Scrapls Xeoplutonlsm were worshipped IndIscrImin- ately from which we may reasonably infer that the Christian religion had not long been established in tne country That Is about years after Philo wrote about the as cetics monasteries Monks and churches quoted by Eusebius As the catholic church was never known to do anything by halves after Constantlncs time so far as the heretic was concerned or any writings concerning etics It Is passing strangs that after de stroying most of Phllos writings they should have overlooked this ICth chapter of Eusebius Perhaps Constantlnu whose friendship for the bishop of Caesarea was great may have Influenced the destroyers H now appears that all the lies told about the matter by the Christian apologists for the last years have all been for naught Chambers Encyclopedia takes up the sub ject and makes It very plain It says Many theories have been broached regarding this mysterious sect Ono of the most plausible notions Is the out now commonly accepted of the book of De Vita Contcmplatlva which treats of this suet being falsely attributed to Phllo It is rather believed to bo tile work of an early Christian intended to idealize tile life of Christian monustlclsm and asceticism ef the first centuries But there was no church oven at Alexandria until the last half of the second century This appears the best thing tho church could do In the matter as It had failed to discover the blunder In time to de stroy It without being found out and of course as soon us Buddhism and other oriental religions wero being studied and investi gated this mistake had to bo covered Let the reader notice tho uncertainty in the tone of this apology in Chambers and he can see It Is a sop cautiously thrown out for tho faithful that they have no faith In Its truthfulness pantaenus was one of the church fathers in lie was also tile head or president of tho JCeoplatonlst school at Alexandria There appeared to bo no In congruity In his occupying tho two positions at the same time Kuseblus again beantes timony to Pantaunua a man highly cJjra ted an account of his learning That ho was nominated or sent forth as n mfsIbnury to preach the gospel of Christ to the rations of tho East and to havo traveled In India where It Is commonly said he found thoctfospel of Matthew which before his arrival had been delivered to tame that country who had a knowledge of Christ to whom Bartholomew one of the apostles Is said to havo preached UNifIer be sure and understand vhnt Kusnblus says still further about this great man This Pantaenua therefore for his many excellent performances was at least made president of tho school at Alexandria where he set forth the treasures of the divine principles both by word of mouth and writing There appears to be no difference between what was taught this Ncoplatonlst school and the then Chris tianity St Jerome says Pantnenus of the Stole sect according to an ancient custom of tho city of Alexandria was at the request of ambassadors from India sent Into that country by Demetrius bishop of Alexandria where he found that Bartholomew one of tho twelve apostles had preached the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the gospel of Matthew which ho brought hack with him to Alexandria written In Hebrew letters A missionary from that Ncoplotlnlst mystic heathen school bringing back from India the gospel of Matthew to Alexandria Clement Alexandrius was a church father in 1JI D He succeeded Pantaenus as president of this Neoplatonlsi school at Alex andria cite tillS father as lie was a church Hither and also president of this school and there does not appear to be any friction or discord In tho combination Orlgen was one of the most learned of tho church fathers He was a Xeoplatonlst having studied under Ammonium Saccas lit Alexandria who taught In the second century that Christianity and Nepolntonlsm when rightly understood dif fered In no essential points but had a common origin and really wero one and the same religions Orlgen proud to vindicate to himself his Imitation of his predecessor Pan taenus In the study of profane learning Ho admits that there are some state secrets which lire not lit to be communicated to the vulgar and Justifies tho fact from tho secret doctrines of tie Pagan philosophy Again ho says I say wo Christian clergy who are so well advised do professedly teach men to believe with out a severe examination Orl gen was u church father In A D and It appears that even then Christianity would not bear Inspection Ho was so Imbued with the Essenism of Jesus Matt 1912 that he suffered mutilation Yet notwithstanding all his great attainments before ho died he re lapsed hack to Neoplatonism a slur If there was any difference In the two on the cause he for a time was so great an exponent Prof Hurnack says Orlgen could not have been what ho wits unless two generations before him had labored at tho problem of finding an Intellectual expression and a philosophic basis for Christianity among which lire Pantaenus and element It was Ills deepest and most solemn conviction that the sacred oracles of Christendom embraced all tho Ideals of an tiquity In Alexandria whose school was founded In the days of tho Plotemles chrls tian Ideas were houdled in a free and specu lative fashion worked out with the help of Ncuplatonlsin But tile science of faith how can such a scholar aa tho professor think there can bo a science of falth as expounded by Orlgen bear unnilstnkebly tho Htuiiip both of Neoplatnnlsin and Gnosticism As a theologian Orlgen was a speculative phil osopher of Neoplatonla tendencies Ills Stro muta In which Orlgen compared the teachings of tho Christians with that of the philosophies and corroborated all the Christian dogmas from Plato Aristotle and Numcnlus have been destroyed These books shared tile same futo as Plutarchs Lives and for tho samo reason The church ever destroyed nil books which said too much and also those which fulled to laud the church when they had a church to do so Plutarchs Lives BLUE GRASS BLADE 13 originally numbered of which only are now extant Eight of the seventeen stroyed were the lives of the eight emperors of Home who lived at the time or about the time Jesus way said to have been born These eight live would throw light on to early church nIl the gospel Jesus not perhaps In tho Interest of the church and that the reason they are missing Porphyeys fifteen books on tho Christians of his day was burned by an order of Thcodoslus lorphycy says of Orlgen The outer life of Orlgen was that of a Christian nnd contrary to law but as far ns his views of things nnd of God are concerned ho thought like tho rCeopIatonlst whose conceptions ho overlaid with foreign myths This verdict of Par phyrys more Just than that of the largo body of church historians of tho past who reiterated tho puro fable that the NeoplatonlH stole all or borrowed their valuable doctrines from tho ancient Christian books The heretical Protestant as well ns Its mother church have over vied In defaming all trespassers on their only true wny to heaven Protestant historians telling their renders that such her etical sects could not have been of God be cause they did not survive and flourish Their sympathies are not with any sect who met the sward of Catholicism nnd were an Ihllated when they succeeded owing to tho advanced liberal Ideas of tho people not that their cause was more Just or righteous All theso present day heretical protestnnts have for n basis of religion Is a mutilated and corrupted gospel nnd a big trail of blood of heretics ns good ns they from Constantine until tho 18th century Is It any great wonder that today they nro unable to sustain their position To bo continued Continued front page CHURCH REVIVALS FROM SCIENTIFIC VIEW A Proper Test Does It bind every one to every other In life and death Since people aro not lost to start with you do not have to save them The work Is to make them grow To save a person In one evening or a week Is like saying that you can educate a person In a single evening When a religious Institution says that or any power In the universe can rave a person In a day or week It Is Just the same kind of claim as a teacher saying he can educate a child In a day or n week Being saved nnd being educated are both neverendless pro cesses If ono were absolutely lost to start with you could no moro save him titan you could educate an absolute Idiot Ono of tho worst effects of the old time revival was this At tho close there was an absolute line running through tho community separating families and friends On one sldo were tho good nnd the bad together puffed up with spiritual pride bound for Paradise All the baggage of the world was abandoned On the other side of the line wore good find tho had together bound for perdition thoso who were not saved One Is reminded hero of an observation of Uusklns This puffing up Is tho first last and fatalist sign of nil false religious teaching Your con verted children who toch their parents Your converted convicts who tench honest mem Your converted dunces who having lived half their lives In cretinous stupefaction suddenly awakening to tho fact of there being a God fancy themselves his peculiar messengers Those of every sect who think that men can ho saved by thinking rightly Instead of doing rightly these nro the truo fog children A Crown for a Crime CROWN FOR CRIME Murder Will Open Heavens Gates Bible Chronology all Upset and Other Matters By Scalawag- A crown for a crime There no disputing the fact that the surest way to get to heaven Is to commit murder Chester Gillette the blessed soul who commltcd a brutal murder who defied his guilt who when he realized when It was going to bo life for life then con fessed to his spiritual advisors nnd to God that ho was guilty of the crime nil of which ended In Gods forgiveness nnd a sent heaven among the sanctified Dear Chester In his communication concludes ns follows There Is not one thing I hnvo left undone which will bar me from facing my God knowing that my sins are forgiven for I have been free and frank In my talks with my spiritual advisors And God knows where I stand My task Is done the victory won through the blood of his victim Miss Graco Brown The creed has no doubt consigned Grace Brown to tho care of tho devil as she had no tlmo for repentence But what of that Did not the murderers spiritual adviser see to It that criminal was landed heaven where a crown and a harp of a thousand string was waiting for him Including Abrahams bosom wherein Chester could rest after his long trip to the place pre pared for him from the foundation of the world reward for crime Is simply a bait for others to pick nt who have a grudge be lieving ns they do that If their animosity leads to murder they can make themselves nil right with God through tho medium of spiritual Instruction from some preacher who understands the trick of absolution As for myself can only have contempt for such exhibitions of divine Justice nnd If I had n son I would rather see him face the Issue with n stubborn will than make the claim that for crime he hnd committed the deed had given him a place among the angels through the Mood of the Innocent crown for a crime Is the last resort for the coward nnd murderers are quite sure of that heaven of rest so gallantly earned It Is not nt all likely that a renegade like Chester Gillette would ever have put on in assumption of piety hnd ho not murdered Grace Brown and It requires the life of some person to bring a wretch tn repentance tho sooner such a scape goat belief hurled In oblivion tho better Upsetting the Bible I nm Indebted to the K C Star for the formation that tho young p oilos siMptv of the Argentine Congregational church will have n minstrel show In tho church on Friday night Tho members of the society will appear blackface It Is evident that the ynnnar Tfo plo desire to liven things up n rid they know that a negro minstrel oxorflm will brighten tho gloom of tho plno and will give thorn something now Rnjoymon The K Star has certainly gone daffy In Its Issue of April 1st It presents to view the skeleton of tho Platocarpus Ahniptim ns It appeared after r mlllon years n Kansas chalk bod Does not the Star know that tho world Is only f thousand years Was I not brought up to believe that I could And did not our Sunday school teacher press that fact on our minds and now for tho A Star to add mlllon hundred and thou sand years to tho age of the world is certainly poking fun at Its readers and to add Injury to our minds It again In Its Issue of April 3rd displays the skeleton of the threetoed horse of thinksItwillbeexcludedformture It has been quite dry In this part of the world and everybody has been wishing that it would rapt Well last night it rained and to beautltuldaybloom nnd see how clean everytlng Is with all the dust washed away There another side groundthe Cohestart up in our gardens and that means work with the hoe I dont know what kind of weath doknowIt bound to be the ono or the other I am orlustwithdustsome men ought to be kicked THE PRODIGALS RETURN One time I said an awful really did An pa was angry when he heard An so I hid An they was huntln everywhere An my give em such a scare Dont be mad cause I didnt was fist n kid But when It got nil dark nn cold Why I was scared For en I wasnt over bold And en I caredAcould see dancln hero an there An they was huntln everywhere An when the found me I didnt care If I hail swenred But when maw called me her poor child An didnt scold An paw looked mad but soon got mild cause I was cold An maw got clothes cause mine was wet For It rained why en you bet was sorry sweared an Im sorry yet So dont you scold THE CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL For a practical commonsense endorsement of the Correspondence School we commend our renders to the following taken from the Line villa la Tribune Realizing the vast amount of ignorance among the masses regarding science the Grass Blade has started a Correspondence School that the most humble may become educated nt homo and with less expense than thousands are out for their whisky 14 BLUE GRASS BLADE Uoi X JJ J1tV Che Blades Correspondence JyWill Stand by the Blade CHICAGO ILL You may put me down for a contribution of ten dollars In case any serious attempt shall bo made to exclude the Blade from the mallsC B WAITE Promises For The Fight HAMILTON OI note an article entitled Religious Liberty Threatened In the last Issue of the Blue Grass Blade and a request for patrons of Blade and others Interested In the matter to report as to what extent they are willing to aid defending their rights In the courts If such thing should become necessaryI that I will contribute 1000 It is deemed necessary and will be ready to give It at any tlmeJ P WILSON Will Help If Needed ATHENS OIf nothing befalls me shall remit In full July 1st to Have been very sick last year and somewhat Improved at present Should you bo compelled to go to court and If my health does not leave me you can put mo down for to FraternallYH D Another Good Friend MEIOS GAIf the Postal authorities should file against you may call on mo and alI Ucouwhatever can at the time which I know wont be much but can contribute small amounts from time to time It BORDERS Stands Ready To Help OWENTON KYJust read In Blade that you havo again been threatened with another suit of prosecution by the humble and meek and hasten to say that you may put me down for five dollars 500 as my part to help knock the scoundrels out Tho Blade ting them too hard and the hit dog Is howl Ing glvo It to them hot and fast glvo my love tri your colaborer and freedoms friend John R Charlesworth J L SLOCUM Another School Inquky KUNA IDAHOI havo received three copies of the Blade and like It first rate May subscribe later Please give mo Information regarding your Correspondence School ns per advertisement In DladeT F HIGH s Not Interested WEST HAVEN CONN Havo no time to waste with side Issues The emancipation of tho working class the only battle worth fighting foro RUCKBER One More School Applicant DALLAS TEXAS Will you please send mo full particulars of The Scientific and Philosophical Correspondence School as per advertisement In ToMorrow am Interest ed In your announcement and wish to enroll for your full coursesR HARRIS Well Pleased With Blade BROAD TOP CITY PA Enclosed find to movo my tab up to July I like tho new style of the Blade and am well pleased to have Mrs Henry and Mrs Closa back again They arc fine Mrs Henry the plainest writer ever read after HENRY COOK More Names Sent AUSTINGBURG Enclosed find names for sample copies of Blue Grass Blade Also find cents for which please send The Vlgln rarrJ WOODS Comes In With a Bunch MONTGOMERY MINNI received your sample copy of the Blade and liked It very well You asked for names of persons who you thought would like to receive sample copies of the Blade Here are some of the Freethinkers of this town There are others yet but I cannot exactly recall their names but I will try to push your paper whenever I got a chance address all to Montgomery Minnesota shall want tho papers to bo sent to me right alongED PROCIIASKA Sure Enough Freethinker STOCKTON UTAH Enclosed please find 200 Move my subscription one year ahead also one year to Mrs M Needam as per coupon enclosed I am sure you will keep this now subscriber slnco your paper Is so much Improved Having dressed It up In Its new clothes It looks fine and dandy I cant do without the Blade and I shall do what I can to help It along as far as my limited means will allow I am seventytwo years of ago and have been laid up with Rheumatism for three years but shall try and scratch the dollars to keep up my subscription for the Blade Enclosed find two clippings published In Salt Lake Evening Telegram They are parts of Sermons delivered by Rev Dr Brown of Salt Lake City It seems to me that when n dally paper will publish admissions of that kind In a religious community like Salt Lake City that somebody going to get their rights after a while Trusting that the Blue Grass Blade may be able to help roll on tho work HENRY BOOTH Willing To Work For Blade IRVING KANSASShould you think It profitable to have some old numbers of tho Blade distributed among Freethinkers I am In a business to find them out and would he at your service to distribute them for you or glvo you their names Send me as many copies as you wish to and I will see that they are each one put In tho hands of rationalists JOHN T BAYS Gives The Snap Away FORT SCHUYLER N YA copy of your II Six Popular Books Sent Free As a mutter of advertisement and to In crease the circulation of our advanced thought literature we will send the following six books free to every render of this magazine who will cooperate with CONCENTRATION The road to Success liy Henry Harrison Brown This Is a hook containing page written In plain and ple language by this popular author of Now Thought books It Is a clear and practical treatise on the attainment of success In every walk of life Price finely bound In cloth and gold 100 paper cover THE CELESTIAL LIFE by Frederick W Burry A new book of pages full of bril liant presentations of truth highly optimistic throughout and directing the way to light life and power Handsomely printed and bound Price cloth and gold 100 paper cover SPRIGS OF POETRY by Norris Sprigs LL D Colorados favorite poet This book Is like a harp of a thousand strings five hundred poems on such n variety of subjects that no reader may fall to strike a harmon ious chord It contains fifteen beautiful Illus trations Price leatherette cloth and gold LOST IN THE BOTTOMLESS PIT by J Howard Cashmere An answer to Ernest Haeckels Riddle of the Universe It pre sents a now hypothesis for the solution of problems of life and mind Over pages of Inspiration Hound only In cloth and gold Price SIDEREAL SIDELIGHTS by Charles Louis Brewer nuthor of Tho Rider Brother and Steppingstones to Heaven This Is a well 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freedom of thought as spells God with a small g and Savior with a small s I claim also freedom of thought to spell these words the other way and to rovercnco their meaning and the one Is as much freedom of thought ns the other Why dont you be honest and announce yourself ns Devoted to atheism and agnosticism with nil that they produce Atheism the assertion that there no God deism Is the belief that there Is a God but true living Christianity the per sonal acquaintance with God You never cnn prove a negative especially when It Is not so But Christianity Is open to practical proof for you Mr Hughes or anyone else If any man wllleth to do hIs Gods will he stall know of the teaching whether It be of God or whether I speak of myself John 717 If you will rend tho gospels with tho will or purpose to find Gods will for you praying 0 God If there be a God show me and enable me to do thy wlllnnl1 will then live up to the light you receive you will be come a Christian knowing the truth or the Bible Is false A six months trial would prob ably be more than enough If you are honest and earnest having the will If you do not will to do Gods wll1by Implication or the text you will probably not know that the teaching Is true and so will almost as effectu ally exemplify the truth of the text though to your eternal loss Again John 1411 Jesus says Relieve me that I nm In the Father and the Father In me Ic my di vine claims or else If you are unable to do that believe me for the very works sake Ie believe me enough to do what I have commanded This therefore amounts to about the same thing as the Irst and the Savior has declared this to be satisfactory nt the outset and that you will advance ns you obey Agnostic the Greek for Igno ramus and was coined by Huxley to politely describe his Ignorance of religious truth but you Mr Hughes do not have to remain an agnostic or nn Ignoramus and you have the door to knowledge that neither gulli bility nor theorizing open to you Dont let any flaws In professing Christianity turn you from the main proposition John 717 I lieve In evolution of nature and of religion and In the employment of common sense but I do not believe In anarchism anti atheism Is anarchism In tho spiritual realm blade used to cut down and destroy and well typifies tho attitude of the atheism hut the religion that Is to conquer the world will bo tho water that refreshes tho fire that purifies tho blood that transfused gives now life to tho dying Drop your Blade Mr Hughes If you have tho manliness tho Chrlstllness and conic out for tho helping and uplifting of your fellowmen and the honoring of your though unknown God nUT n W SPRINGER Tho reverence for tile big and tho same old tnlo simply bears testimony to tho truth of Herman WcttstclnB arguments on capitalizing god and decnpltallzlng NatureEdB- ear in mind that what helps tho School helps tho Blade and both must bo made to support each other Hell hath no terrors for that man or that woman who Is conscious of 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