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Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, May 9, 1909.

Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, May 9, 1909. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.). 400dpi TIFF G4 page images Blade Publishing Co., Lexington, Kentucky 1909 blu1909050901 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, May 9, 1909. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.). Blade Publishing Co., Lexington, Kentucky 1909 $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. tj iiII I nn tdf r fr4 i it tJ i1 BLUE GRASS BLADE SKr Volume XVIII Number 2 LEXINGTON KYI MAY g ryog t DEVOTED W THE PROPAGANDA FREEDOM OF THOUGHT 4DRfWcstcrlla oooo otOO OOOtOIQOOOOOO h W KKK t MwwC OS Kw 4 44Ll J III I r jff1111 vi jt r fJ IN f f Ui j tI J n 2 BLUE GRASS BLADE Dr J F P WETZEL Throughout the years of its active propaganda Free thougth has always insisted upon and given encouragement to study and investigation in order to know and understand Xo better illustration of the results to be obtained thereby upon the individual mind can bo found that what is af forded in the career and work of the subject of this brief readers will recall the splendid article published few weeks ago upon morals health and the State Some favorable comments have been received upon ho publica tion of that article In this short account we now under take to give in outline the life of its author Dr r F P Wetzel was born at Weston Lewis county Virginia in 1853 now a part of West Virginia and was namedafter President Pierce The Wetzel family had acquired a distinctive prominence in that section from the early settlement of the valley of the Ohio River Lewis Wctzcl was well and widely known as a noted Indian scout while Wetzels Cave bears the family name While still a young man Mr Wetacl took a scientific course in the University of his native State and afterwards taught school passing through every department from teacher in the primary grade to that of principal Later ho took a course of instruction in the Kentucky School of Medicine in the Louisville Medical College from which he graduated with honor and began the practice of his profession Ifo was married to Elizabeth Fishback the eldest daughter of a near and dear neighbor from which union there have been born eight children Imbued with a progressive mind Dr Wetel and his family moved to Kansas where he practiced medicine for a time and litter moved further westward where he be came a member of the faculty in different medical schools and colleges Among these may he mentioned The Willamette Medical School at Portland Oregon The Post Graduate Medical Department of the University of Cali fornia and the Pacific Coast Regular College of Medicine In the latter he filled two chairs namely Professor of Physiology and Lecturer on Eilcctroriiorapeutics and ElectroSurgeryHis into natural science rand all its correl atives led him directly to Frecthought and as a result ho is extremely liberal on all subjects For ninny years ho has identified himself with the Liberal movement and has written extensively on liberal andscientific lines When Lucifer published by Moses Harmon was first brought to light at Valley FUR Kansas a quarter ofa century firmIago Dr Wetzel wrote for that paper Ho was also a and fast friend of the late Dr J L York the noted thought lecturer who held forth for years in San Francisco In order to keep the Liberal movement alive after his advent to San Francisco Dr Wetzcl started Free thought societies organized Paino memorials but shortly after tho earthquake in 1906 Dr York died and Dr Wetzel with a number of younger and willing hands and hearts went to work and revived tho propaganda Dr Wetzels voice is still heard with no uncertain soundas his lecture before the Materialist Association will attest which has appeared in the Blade in part Ho is a coher ent logical and convincing reasoncr and speak lie bases his arguments upon facts and never allows his imaginationf to lure him into unknown depths Liko tho late Robert G Ingersoll our subject came from a lino of orthodox preachers and again like Ingersoll he began to investigate at an early age Emerging from tho shrysalis of infantile thought Dr Wetzcl passed out of his shell of superstition into tho light of truth and Free thoughtIn Dr Wotzcl was always a Democrat Ho gave up party affiliations years ago and undertook a propaganda in behalfof what was known as tho Interest Tax Movement which ho tad formulated believing it to be a feasible plan for tho same conducting of public affairs He did not endorse tho Single Tax theories of the late Henry George urging that his plan was moro compre hensive more scientific and more in line with tho evolution of political and economic changes Although the Doctors duties professionally are very exacting ho still finds time wherein to lift his voice and use his pen for freedom of thought and conscience Ho cordially dislikes sophistry Subjecting every ism every fad to the supreme test of human reason ho never identi fed himself with any form of religious or political superstition but is willing to investigate every worthy subject brought to his notice Only in this way can truth bo made manifest If to refuse to reason is to bo a bigot there can bo no bigotry in tho nature tho mind or makeup of Dr Wetzol and our cause would prosper at a more rapid rate did we havo more of such advocates willing and capable of speaking in its behalf It is gratifying to know that Dr Wetzel has promised to complete his article on Health Morals and the State other parts of which will appear in tho Blade in duo time tlj II rn t BLUE GRASS BLADE 3 MANS ORIGIN AND DESTINY I Xo Loss nv ABOLISHING Till CHURCH IT GIVES SOCIETY XO rAUIE FOU WHAT IT KEOKIVKS lSrATIOXS GOVERNED BlOLOGIOAL LAWS By Dr A Hausman The very costly institution of law is the penalty for low individual egoism tho violation of the social laws by prac ticing dishonesty tho desire of obtaining the fruit of the labor of others without giving an equivalent or crime the gratification of desires without regard to tho welfare of others The enormous fees lawyers receive for their work mean so much loss for those who have to pay they receive no equivalent for their money The written law is no absolute necessity there are thousands living who do not require any law whatever but since the prevalence of a low egoism in a certain number of people must be admitted the law cannot entirely bo dispensedwith although it could be much simplified and made more effective Why docs a lawyer receive ten or a hundred dollars when others receive only ono for their labor in tho sauce time Is his work of higher value of greater importance for society Certainly not All the questions at issue in the courts can bo de cided more in accordance with justice without tho aid of the statutes if only tho simple laws of society and a little logic were applied As it is now the final decision render ed by a jury depends after all on tho opinion of untrained minds and all the vast amount of legal wisdom displayed in the pleadings is utterly wasted While these two social institutions the army and tho government cannot bo abolished entirely but only reduced and modified there is no reason why tho church should con tinue to exist The buildings dedicated to tho worship ofa demented human mind callled god and tho mainte nance of tho persons conducting tho socalled divine service represent an enormous loss of labor corresponding to the amount of money expended for which society receives no value in return The preaching of tho gospel has no effect whatever on the morals of tho people except to make them conceited moral cowards and hypocrites Tho church docs not alleviate misery and whatever charitable institutions are supported by church represent but a small fraction devoted to a useful purpose of tho immense sums contributed by tho people But why expend ten dol lars in order to receive one back by useful appropriations Whynot devote tho whole to tho improvement of tho physical and moral condition of the destitute people Wo shall proceed now to examine the useful occupations which may be divided into two classes those producing the absolute necessities of life and those devoted to the sat isfaction of relative necessities or luxuries To tho first class pertain all those avocations having for an object tho production of the material used for clothing shelter and food and those who effect the distribution of these articles Under this group are comprised farmers artisans mechanics merchants in short all industries en gaged in the production of the necessities of life further all the means communication railroads telegraphs postal service anil navigation also tho scientific professions teachers physicians etc To tho second class be long all those industries and professions which do not con tribute to the material support of lifetho manufactory of intoxicating drinks tobacco etc all the fine arts paint ing sculpturing acting music novel writing and many othersIt must be left to the reader to classify the manifold occupations of our complicated labor system but in attempt ing to do so he will discover the absolute impossibility of drawing the lino between necessity and luxury Consider ing that our most refined culture is the result of evolution from a state of barbarism and that civilization is merely a modification of tho natural instincts which we have in common with a certain group of animals it is evident that a consequent subtraction from life of all which is not abso lutely necessary for existence would bring humanity back to the primitive state of the savage Between the two extremities the half naked savage and the rich maul whoso palace is adorned with tho costly works of art lies the limit between necessity and luxury But since civilization im plies more wants than tho mere existence of the savage the line moves more and more away from the primitive state of life towards the other extremity with tho progress l of culture Though we cannot draw a sharp line we can t feel ourselves what we require for our happiness and what t for us constitutes a necessity This is however a very elastic and extensible conception whose lower limit is given i by the smallest amount of food clothing and shelter required to keep a person in a condition to fully exert his physical and mental abilities whoso upper confines are only limited by the amount of money a person has at his dis position above tho necessities of life livery one must de cide for himself according to his means what is a luxury for him i lliOSSIuILIrv TO BAIAXOK PHODUCTIOX ANDtCON suatPTION Taking into account the indefiniteness of the terra lux I j r 14 BLUE GRASS BLADE tiry the instability of the population which changes constantly and the unreliability of commercial relations be tween the nations it becomes obvious that an exact equali zation or balance of production and consumption is an utter impossibility In the first place the production of the absolute necessities of life by agriculture is subject to influence beyond human control and on the produce of the soil again depends the consumption of luxury It is a common error of socialistic writers not to take into ac count the important fact that luxury represents no well defined term but that necessity does as far as possible under the changeable relations between money and mater ial value Industries dependent on the consumption of lux uries will be affected first by any political or social dis turbance and there is no power in the world that could avert such depressions and keep up a balance between consumption and production If we investigate which oc cupations pay the best we find that the greatest wealth is in the hands of merchants manufacturers and persons con trolling public institutions railroads navigation etc The reasons why such occupations pay better than technical or scientific professions healing the sick or teaching the rising generation will be found not in a moral or ethic but in a physical law a simple arithmetical proposition A professional person is paid for his personalservices which are of course limited by physical capacity and time An artisan may employ help but there willrarely be an opportunity for making a fortune as may be done by spec ulation manufacturer may employ a large number of laborers and his profits increase with his production raking the breweries for instance the enormous consumption- of small quantities of beer gives some of them a princely income A merchant makes a certain profit on a certain quantity of goods which is the remuneration or wages for his labor selecting and distributing that amount of oods Since this amount is not limited by physical capacity it may be augmented greatly nil the profit or wages will increase in proportion Tt is the saute with all occupations which are not dependent on rersollulupucitt but on me chanical appliances Reducing the social condition of nations to the last con sequences the common biological laws we find that such institutions will give certain members of the community who contribute absolutely nothing to its support a larger portion of material value produced by labor are the relics of a barbarous state of mankind and can only exist because the majority of the people are still ignorant of the biolog ical laws as the ultimate cause The larger the proportion of ignorant people tho greater will bo the number of useless members of society the greater will bo the contrast be tween the lower find the higher classes the poor and the rich The more the people learn to discredit the false teachings of religion and to understand the laws of nature the better they will be enabled to guard their own welfare andcompel all members of society to give some value in return for the material received for their existence and comfort As the result of a universal reciprocity of labor the total produc tion ofa nations industry will be increased and with it the other social features constituting what is expressed by tho general term of civilization A comparison of the nations on earth will show this condition of society to be independent of the form of government which is always the effect not the cause of a higher or lower intellect We hear often spoken of national economy a discip line intended to teach the principles of the material exist ence of nations In as far as its investigations ore confined to the enumeration accomplished facts without any attempt to establish the immutable biological laws it is of no value to any one except for statistical reference Since the first postulation for the comprehension of the social question is the recognition of the axiom that everybody requires a certain amount of material for his existence and that for every one who does not produce it himself some one else must do the work it is just as absurd to treat consumption and production as two different factors as itIis to speak of labor and capital as two antagonistic elements in the social organization The fact is that everybody is andmust be a consumer but not necessarily a producer CHAPTER XII INDIVIDUAL LABOR AND ITS VALUE HONESTY TILE FITTEST IN THE STKUOOLK EXISTENCE Reviewing tho history of mankind it seems impossible that anybody could be so blindits to deny its true character the manifestation of the struggle of existence between racesIand nations No other right is acknowledged and respect t ed but brute force which may consist in numbers or incmechanical appliances which increase immensely the bel ligerent capacity of the single individual and therefore equal the effect of numbers If we investigate the cause of the superior power of tho civilized nations we find it in the compliance with the social laws indispensable for the coexistence of largo numbers on the limited space afforded by tho configuration of the continents As the first principle wo found tho law of labor under tho system of division of labor the fundament of civilization TheJstruggle of existence among tho single individuals compris ing a nation led to a division of the functions for the maintenance of its integrity and welfare or ered so by tine people In the preceding chapter considfshown that no physical necessity exists for some occupations and that they owe their existence inheritance from our savage ancestors Such institutionsl as religion hereditary monarchy etc base their claim for recognition on historical right which indeed is the only title for existence they can show and which will vanish in stantly as soon as the masses whose ignorance and brutality upholds those institutions attain a higher degree of in tellectprogress Starting from tho only true and possible proposition that r I 1BLUEGRASS BLADE 6 life has neither any other object nor destiny beyond its earthly existence it follows that it must be selfsufficient that its cultivation must bo tho only rational aim in fact the only duty imposed upon us by nature whose creatures we are Individual life has value only for itself but since a large number of individuals are living together and dependent upon each other our natural instincts must be f In The Beginning LIFE AND THE ETHEREAL CANOPY THEIR RELATIVE I POSITIONSRADIUM A FUNDAMENTAL C M McDonald So much has been lately written about the relations of life to nature that it would seem to be unwarranted for a layman to take issue with the eminent scientists concerning the foun dation of our present existence Yet when considering the ma terialistic exigencies on a divergence of opinion all have taken the tangent of existing facts as proven to settle thereby the unproven facts of the fountain head of the tangent FirstLet us analyze matter Units atoms or molecules must have a separation from some source The cosmical nebulae forming the present numerous worlds is often used to represent the beginning of our solar system The question arises How could a nebulae have begun its rotation of its own accord Looking to this foundation we find the same hiatus exists in natural law as in religious law of evolution Either represents and means to evolve from something beyond and if recognized religiously as a greater it must also in the natural or scientific be so classed by reason of the fact that its effect is the result of a first cause There being no conception of infinite space then space must be eliminated as a factor in both Absolute space or a vacuum being impossible we find that the space so commonly used is merely a surrounding hypothetical imagination and being an infinite it must contain both the socalled Jehovah of the Religious and the Beginning of the laws of evolution We now find ourselves at the remotest point of a beginning and of the substance with which to start we must now deal l An atom or molecule has always been recognized as the smallest particle of our imagination of a thing to exist in a form Science has demonstrated that an atom has a certain unknown force by which one is attracted to another ie as a t singular it can of its own volition convert itself into a plural but from a plural of atoms no singular can deflect itself of its own accord To illustrate Every magnet contains both poles and when the magnet is broken either the North or the South will contain and produce both ad infinitum There1 has been but one substance so far produced that can dissimilate the atom and that is radium J In the production of this chemical its most vital element to have been overlooked The Curres having proved diem loses practically none of its force though constantly seelllSil charging force it brings us back to tho point like vacuum that the chemical in its absolute pure state produced for the same reason that the positive vacuum of held within such limits as tho concession of equalrights for happiness to our fellow men demands Within these limits however personal egoism is the only rational and possible principle everybody lives for himself andonly for himself in his work alone consists his value for the other members of society To be continued lute space cannot exist its own elements being more powerful than any outside interference and it would be left in order to make its purity to throw off or discharge the remaining fault by the use of a lever and fulcrum composed of its own pure elements It would be as easy to conceive that as to conceive the end of space Radium thus is shown to be the only element of selfliving matter known That it is almost pure is more convincing show ing that in the pure state it would be the going back into evolu tion or into a dormant That it can discharge force and at the same time not lose its own force shows it to be a nondormant factor or that it is capable of and does agitate within its vironments continually Its particles as shown above having made an atom divisible into thousands of parts the idea of n cosmical dust or hypothetical beginning is thus disabused As is well known to both scientist and layman anything active means the effecting of surrounding matter by any given sub stance Then we speak of radioactive as being the effect pro duced by radium To produce cause and effect the active cause does produce an effect but as in the singular and plural of atoms effect can not diffuse itself into or look back to n cause Radium being a nondormant its particles if any there be are always active It discharges activity force and at the same time its own activity force is not affected by its own discharge Therefore we conceive it to be so small in its cipiency as to occupy no space or in other words it and space are synonymous As space is inconceivable in its beginning or ending its correlative is radioactivity The radium particle is absolutely an unknown element or it has no particle or sub stance to compare with the atom or molecule and we can only accept it in the light of science as being like spacea perfect infinite or natural law and in the light of Religious beliefs as being the other power or spiritual law Radium being as proven by the Curries an absolute active force any beginning of a nebulae was merely the corralling of its own infinitives the natural evolution of its own nondormant stale of being To propose that there was an actual beginning of anything is to throw insult into the face of Natural Law because neither could have begun of its own accord as a thing beingnQuery Tile substance with which we start or tho original composite of a nebulae is radioactivity or matter as infinite as space and when the religious speak of Jehovah as always having been they mean the neverbeginning or ending of radio activity a thing wo have demonstrated which will discharge power and at the same time not lose anyof its own Materialism and the life after death theory will be discussed in another article l 6 BLUE GRASS BLADE I Parker Sercombe Attends Funeral The following Is a newspaper report of the obsequies attending the funeral of Arch Maid Livingston who recently died at Montlcello Iowa The address was livered by Parker H Sercombe Editor of Tomorrow Magazine who had been select ea for that purpose Mr Sercombe said In part In accordance with a custom as old as antiquity we are met here to perform the last sad rites over your friend and nelgn bor Archibald Livingston You are as sembled In this Instance to pay tribute to the passing of a real rnan of the typo of Paine Ingersoll and Franklin a man with the courage of his convictions ready In the Interest of his mental Integrity to speak his belief according to his conviction with regard to the unpreparednoss of human society or the strength of the opposition that might be hurled against him Archibald Livingston was a man who loved nature He was a friend to the flow ers the trees and the birds As far as he could prevent It he would not permit any living thing to suffer needless ueath He loved the sunshine and the storm and would often go out In the darkness of the night to commune with the thunder and lightning and study the language of the in visible forces His Inherent gentleness Integrity and love of nature is characteris tic of the true rationalist of him who cAlves his revelation through the study of life and nature making comparison of the basic law discovered In each field of In the course of time In the struggle of mankind to place Intelligence on a work Ing basis there has been but few men with the courage and steadfastness and moral Integrity to stand forth supreme among their fellows and fight for a cause or a belief that bore the stigma of unpopu larityIt has always been a favorite slogan of the orthodox church men to assume that the rationalist the nonbeliever in the tra ditional forms of mysticism handed down from antiquity offered no hope for the liv ing and no solace for the dead but an ex amination of the concepts and feelings of the true rationalist discloses a warrant for the living so profound with an altruism so deep as to place all forms of selfish ves for attaining everlasting life In plete oblivion To work for the love of It to live for the joy of It to realize that day by day we are our own creators shaping mind and body in accordance with our mind and acts to realize that future perfection Is not to be attained through the individual but through a process in which all the units f the social organization take part It is acquire en outlook upon life and an in look upon self that transcends the fondest dreams of all the saints and seers who have pestered the pathway of a poor deluded worldInstead of toiling through life with a selfish aim of securing an exceptional good seat on the grandstand of everlasting glory and holding this greedy hope as the bass of doing good deeds in this world the rationalists mind as represented by our deceased friend is satisfied to live nobly toll manfully deal generously and dine on simple fare all in the interest of Im proving and upholding the unit of racial Ifo entrusted to his keeping- It matters not whether the great world process tho universal system of experi mentation which has been called Jove God Evolution and the life force Is recog nized or not It moves majestically onward always changing always Improving and this Is the force employed by Luther Bur bank and others In bringing all fruits and vegetable forms to a state of higher per fectionIt the especial wish of the deceased that at this meeting conducted in his mem ory that this justification for his belief through life should be carefully pointed out perhaps not for tho benefit of Influencing of changing the ideas of his friends and neighbors who are present but rather to Indicate that there is peace and joy sur passing all understanding even in the creed of a Freethinker and rationalist No better evidence of the noble spirit of the deceased could be offered than the bequest of practically his entire fortune to a public benefaction in tho Interest of all the people of Monticello and vicinity A monument to his public spirit and an un questioned evidence of his utilitarian Ideas OLD CHILDRENS TOYS What the Orthodox Would Give If They Had ItBut Have They By Norman Murray There Is a story told of an Irishman who sent for a lawyer and told him he wanted to make his will Tic lawyer carne with papers pen and Ink and witnesses to witness Pats last will and testament Pat willed one hundred pounds to his uncle fifty pounds to his cousin and a liberal amount to various other friends The lawyer expressed surprise at the ex tent of Pats wealth to which Pat an swered Shure I have nothing at all at all but that is what I would glvo them if I had it ISoout what take A man Ing a bad life and after awhile he begins to have remorse and he Is afraid of Something Tho priest finds this weak ness out and makes the patient feel even worse than he did before then the priest begins to work the confidence game The greatest confidence game in the history offthe human race is that salvation flim flam game A man has lived a life of vice and dis honesty and tho reminders of his conscience tell him he has acted badly and he deserves punishment and along comes the priest and tells him if he only believes u certain formula the punishment he so justly de serves will be charged to Jesus Christ a peasant carpenter who is supposed to have been crucified 2000 years ago The people like to be humbugged and there you are The littlo girl has a toy baby to which she devotes particular attention in Imita tion of the attention mama pays to a livejbaby The little boy has a toy horse to which ho talks as he hears an adult talk to a real live horse Men have been mak ing gods from the earliest accounts we have of them and It Is safe to prophesy that they will continue to do so to the end of the chapter We can get children how over to change their toys particularly If they are dangerous when they begin tolplay with knives and matches It appears to me that something of the same nature might be tried with many who are afflict ed with tho Christian superstition For Instance I am strongly of tho opin ion that the natural love of ancestors to be found In all races of mankind have not yet been used to such an advantage as it might be by antlclerjcals To give an Il lustration My own name Norman Is Tormold In Gaelic which is evidently derived from the old Norse god Thor Of late years when I want to tease my Chris tian friends I tell them that as I am named after a better god than the god of the Jews I dont see why I should go to the Jews for either a god or a religion Then I tell them that as my own an cestors the Vikings were sea pirates and tho ancestors of the Jews were land pi rates I couldnt see why I should go to Palestine to seek for heroes This method has a double advantage It amuses the audience and lessens the tility to the propagandist Of late years there has been too much of what In military language is called frontal attacks In tho Freethought movement Montreal Canada I BLUE GRASS BLADE 7 f Twittering of Tomtits When a Small Bore Preacher Wants to Make a Hit He Always Lights on Thomas Paine By Charles H Schwartz We hear so often or Intellectual tomtits who must needs take a fall out of Thomas Paine that i feel a lew words on tile subject of the twittering tomtlts will not come amiss have particularly In mind a little Methodist domlneo over In Indiana who Indulges In these twitterings whenever two or three or gathered together and he among them The Rev Coeur do Aslnus which by the way is not his name Is one of the noisiest of these Intellectual tomtits that feel It tnelr duty to misrepresent real men Be IIhold the live jackass that kicks the dead lions said the Rev Minot J Savage a few days after the death of Col Ingersoll In speaking of those who were befouling the atmosphere with their abuse of the great agnosUcIThe Rev Coeur scorns to read the writ Ings of Thomas Paine so he says In that case how In trio name of the Christ no glorifies does he know anything about Paine Isnt it obvious to even a careless reader that such a man could kneel at the door of a ladles convention for hours It not discovered and look through the keynote with both eyes at once Narrowminded did you say Oh Just a fewI so far tried to give the Rev the benefit of the 1oubtthat Is to say to ad mit he had not read Paine and therefore did not know any better On the other and I am inclined to believe ho has read the Age of Reason and that ho docs not know It Is Irrefragable that It has never obeen refuted and that It is the most dan gerous criticism ever written of the so called holy bible The Rev Coeur do As Inus knows full well that should his con gregation read the Age of Reason without fear or favor that Is to say without prej udice ho would no longer be able toSail through the world on flowery beds of ease While others tollfito bring to him his dally bread and cheese In the very beginning of the Ago of Rea son which was written during the stormy period of trio beginning of the French public Paine tells us he is writing the book to preserve religion that the total abolition of the whole national order of ylwtthu t uUt Ill flee wi ct ea Lue gtueru N1cVn vi dUjeC Luu v1 HI u ui uitoiug mat true I tluVc iu one uuu aim iui more and lUpts cur liUltl lUCaa btijUUU Itiu ciiUVe m tat tqaaiu oi muii and J IIch lUUt r llgiUUa UUlltS uuug jUoUco loViug mercy ana tnueav Llll6 aeunU OW lteeuw tLtaturcd uajjly ueu 1tse ae Le UCUtlt11 UeilcVlllg Lnlugseu these no must also muuiou a lew Uunga uu dots uot believe uo nor neat ve m tae creed prousatd uy jowidii uouiaii ur o mrniau iioieatani 01 any uuurcii anew oi menu io iny own uuurcu it ia neccosary W tile uuppiuess of man Lau no oc uitiuuiij launiui uiuisui lunutiiy sots not coiisbi m ueiiavlug or uiabeiioviug it consists In protesting uciieVo Wuai one does not ueueve- litsware mu jiauius and others tear lent ye are oven one oi tutse Imlauia Sue contention 01 uu pUlpit donkeys and utir toiiowers is coat raluu was all Atne isc and teat tueism tended to lower ii nut utsiroy tile moral status ot mankind mis contention Itseu is hypocrisy tor an wuo rtau ills worm Know well that he was no Atheist Thomas Paine believed that all religion wus tae result of necessity weakness and tear That the Institution of churches appeared no other than Human inventions set up to enslave mankind and monopolism power and profit Tile fact that the revenue of the man Catholic Church in America bone reach the enormous total of a year would seem to provo tho truth of his belief Thomas Paine believed tha uo form of life could create itself this implied belief in a creator or ad lie says a llrst cause and this first cause mUll canal nod Deism teaches u without tile possibility of being deceived all that Is necessary or proper to bo known The Creation is the Bible of the Deist Ho there reads in tho handwriting of the Creator himself tho certaliity of his existence and the Immutability of his power and all other Bibles and Testaments are to him forgeries The notion of a Trinity of Gods has enfeebled the belief of one God A multi plication of beliefs acts as a division of belief and in proportion as anything is divided It is weakened It is tho duty Incumbent on every true Deist that ho vindicate the moral Justice of God against the calumny of the Bible The true Deist has but one Deity and his religion consists in contemplating the power wisdom and benignity of the Deity in his works and in enleavorlng to imitate him In everything moral sclentifical and mechanicalIf a universal religion should prevail It will not be by believing anything new but In getting rid of redundancies and believing as man believed at first Adam If ever there was such a man was the first Deist but In the meantime let every man follow as he has a right to do the religion and the worship he prefers What Is it we have learned from this pretended thing called revealed religion Nothing that Is useful to man and everything that is dishonorable to his maker What Is it the Bible teaches usraplne cruelty and murder What Is it the Tes ttament teaches usto believe that the Almighty committed debauchery with a woman engaged to be married and the be lief of this debauchery is called faith Yes there Is a Word of God there is a revelation THE WORD OF GOD IS THE CREATION WE BEHOLD and It is this Word which no human invention can coun terfeit or alter that God speaketh univer sally to man Note the respect shown the Deity and all pertaining to him in PaInes fluent use of capital letters throughout the Age of Reason Is this not proof of his reverence for Almighty God as ho understood him And if there is one note of insincerity In the whole work I have failed to find it It seems useless to write more on this sub ject as the quotations given should be sulllclent for the purpose of this article The average Freethinker Is familiar with the writings of PaIne but this paper may fall into the hands of some who do not know for there are many who do not know A neighbor when told what the subject of the CrapseyMangasarian debate was said Why I didnt know anyone ever doubted that Christ actually lived If the class of people who listen to the braylngs of the Rev Coeur de Aslnus and tho equally largo class who absorb with avidity tho hypocritical spoutlngs of Theiodorus Bombasticus Rooseveltus could b Induced to give the Age of Reason the tine for a careful reading thousands ofIthese purveyors of cant and credulity nilgnt Jthocabbages and other condiments Instead of this dead sea food for the 80nlIBasalt 8BLUE GRASS BLADE BLUE GRASS BLADE Published weekly at Lexington Ky Founded by Charles Chilton Moore in and edited by him until his death February JAMES HUGHES Publisher and Manager JOHN CHARLESWORTH Editor 1268 N Limestone Street Lexington Ky P Box SUBSCRIPTION RATES ny mall postpaid J160 per year in advance Five new yearly subscribers at one remittance JlOO ench Five trial subscriptions sent In with one remittance for six months cents each Trial subscriptions cents PIT month Foreign subscriptions postpaid J200 per year ADVERTISING RATES One inch single column Insertion cents one month or four Insertions six months J509 one year 800 Quarter column single Insertion 200 one month S400 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 SVBSCUIPTIONS to the Blade will be 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 numbera or numbers omitted will be sent If asked for upon renewal case of dtsclntlnuance RHOILD ANY StBSCIUHER change his or her address advise thl office giving both old and new address as desired TIIF OFFICE of publication of the Blade Is at 126118 North Lime stone Street Lexington Kentucky to which all Freethinkers will be given a hearty welcome THE bLADE enterd at the Postofllce at Lexington Kentucky as secondclass mailing matter ADDHESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE BLUE GRASS BLADE P Box Lexington Ky EDUCATION AND THE OHUHCJI The paid advocates of Christianity are now becoming cognizant of the fact that education in its proper branches is not conducive to their side of the orthodox issues At no previous age since the dawn of civilization hits infidelity or opposition to superstitious faith been more prevalent than it is now and at no age has education been more general Tie claim may bo made however that ministers are educated men that they must bo educated before being acceptable to the church authorities and that by reason thereof all education is not infidel or atheistic But this is an erroneous impression for ministers are simply trained they are not educatedand any domesticated animal can be utilized in an almost similar manner Training is not really education The ideas thus formulated seems to have taken hold of the mind and brain of Len G Broughton pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church at Atlanta Georgia for he is reported in a recent sermon to have denounced Harvard the University of Chicago and the Syracuse University Now York as being hotbeds of infidelity wherein certain specific doctrines concerning the bible and the church are taught by the professors which he asserts is designed and intended to destroy tho confidence of the world in the bibleThe designor the intent must be a figment of the 14 pastors imagination There is no design no intent in education All education is secular It is to lay before mankind the simple facts of nature enabling him to under stand the law of life and of living and to fit him to meet the issues that must inevitably confront him as ho enters upon the supreme battle As education is based upon fact it is not the fault of education if it leads from the bible or the Christian religion but the fault of both bible and religion in that they are contrary to fact and must bear the responsibility of their own error But Dr Broughton is away behind the times if ho has but recently made the discovery that the Christian church is pandering to commercialism This pandering has been going on over since its institution under Constantine The latter pandered to commercialism and power when ho pretended to embrace the new faith Thousands of its early converts were actuated by similar motives or at least motives ofa personal character and a desire for gain Politicians will join the church to get votes Sordid bus iness men will do the same thing to win customers and trade Milliners find it profitable to attend church in order to curry favor with the women who lire likely to become customers and at tile same time to study the fash ions and find out if she is in vogue The preacher preaches for money The best singers in the choir sing for pay In many instances with both singer and preacher written contracts are entered into the one to secure and hold the service sought and the other to get a cinch on the cashend of the bargain The charge is made by Dr Broughton however that the members of the faculties in chargo of the educational institutions named are simply teaching religious heresies to please the multimillionaires and that tho latter who arc endowing these institutions with their wealth are only trading on this desire for money in order to destroy Christian education and to paganize the educational in stitutions of the country The wealthy men whom he criticizes are Rockefeller and Carnegie and ho urges the Baptist denomination to say to them Let tho money of Rockefeller and Carnegie perish with them Would that some power human if possible divine if there be such so influence all the church congregations in the country to refuse the gifts of money made to them and we predict that there would not bo a church remaining in good standing in the country within twelve months there after Without money would the cause of Jesus the car penter be in vain Without money tho church would retard more rapidly than she grew to power It is only by- the use of money that the church is now able to exist and to deprive it of the vast revenues now flowing into her coffers would mean a speedy and everlasting death Once the people let go of Christian dogma they will never return to it It is gratifying however to realise that hero and there some paid advocate of the dark faith is coming to his senses Whether they will it or not education will take the people I BLUEGRASS BLADE 9 out of the church and the lack of money will act as a barrier to further progress The people need more educa tion Many aro not sufficiently educated oven under exist ing conditions and in some instances the church is striving and in others it has succeeded in so leavening education with theology as to destroy the value of the former for the practicalaffairs of life Tim CHURCH AND PROGRESS Orthodox Christianity has advanced only by constantly changing its creeds doctrines and definitions t These changes are forced upon its adherents and advocates by reason of the mental accumulations of the ages whichexpose the false extol the true and explain the known If Christianity of today is better in its outwardaspect than the Christianity of yesterday it is merely because a better class exist today than existed yesterday and Christ ianity is fortunate enough to claim some of these among its membership The Christian religion never did and never will feed upon the intellect It exists upon sentiment alone Christ ian believers do not actually know they only feel that they know and imagine their feelings will make up for lack of knowledge Based as it is upon a supposed revelation from its god Christianity cannot improve of itself cause the revelation cannot change Personal progress must be denied to all religions founded upon revelation If Christianity has progressed one or two causes must have produced tho progression Either Christianity has aban doned its revelation or it has given the revelation a new definition in order to comport with tho intelligent demands of tho age Such changes can be but shifting sands shoals of ultimate destruction for any religious system that will change doctrines and definitions in order to win favor and public suppor- tIt was reported that when a certain pugilist met with defeat his disheartened supporters cried out Back to the mines and so it is with the disgusted and halfhearted supporters of tho Christian form of faith witnessing de feat after defeat in the intellectual arena they indignantly cry Back to tho old forms and thus wo hear public men declare that the religion of their mother is good enough fOl them Those among tile worshippers in Christian pews demanding a return to first theological principles aro the most consistent of all Tho modern advocates of change aro digging a pitfall for tho church As a matter of fact Christianity is in itself incapable advancement no mat- tel how much tho outward form may change Nor docs it follow that any change Christianity may mall is for tho better Conditions may change but tho essence must re main ono and the same Christianity has over been a grim shadow oer tho por tals of civilization With hand of steel and tho brain of a hyena it has fought human advancement at every stop But progress could not bo stoppedaltogether It may bo temporarily retarded but not forever hindered Christianity foil into the maelstrom and by the might and power of the cataract it has been swept onward in spite of itself GOD AN INVENTION OF MAN Every race or nation has had its own peculiar and char acteristic gods It is recorded that the ancient Greeks had upwards of thirty thousand deities in fact they creat eda god for every physical phenomena every element every passion every feeling and every pleasure All have had their mythological account of u supposed creation When properly analyzed the god of the bible will be found to represent all the gods of Greece in that the innumera ble parts and passions powers and privileges assigned to him and conferredupon him is simpla blending of many gods into ono god as a matter of individual taste and con venience And yet in spite of criticism and doubt a belief in god cattle as one of the natural results of human ignorance Logical or illogical god was tho only answer ignorance could find for phenomena it did not and could not under stand Every human being who has gazed upon tho vast panorama of tho universe though it may have been but with tho eyes ofa child has inevitably felt a longing to solve however imperfectly that which Haeckel has de nominated tho riddle of the universe and has unconsciously or consciously elaborated in his own mindsome sort ofa theory as to tho why andwherefore of what ho sees In more remote periods of time men were not so vastly different from what they are now in respect of this important inquiry But in those ages men did not have tho knowledge or experience that men hav andenjoy today Much ofwhat was consigned to tho realm of tho unknown yesterday is today brought within the realms of the known Tho more existence of cosmogonies in they religion of every nation both ancient and modern is proof sufficient of the desire of tho human mind to know some thing of the origin of tho earth of man himselfand ma terial substances Tho riddle became perplexing It was a mystery No solution appeared that was feasible Men resorted to invention and they gave birth to a god as an answer to all things and with this investigation was sus pended for ages Apart from tho profound problems which have allalong lain at tho bottom of human existence men have in all ages invented theories to explain the common phenomena of the material universe Many of these theories however varied in their details upon examination turn out to havo a common root and to some extent aro based on tho same elements Not until modern geology put forward its own theories now indisputable did tho old theories begin to disintegrate and decay It has been maintained princi pally by tile metaphysicians and then onlas n hypothesis that there exists in the mindof plan an inherent principle- BLADEIV BLUE GRASS by virtue of which ho believes and expects that what has been will bo and that the course of nature has been and will continue to be an uninterrupted one So far however from any such belief existing as a necessary consequence of the constitution of the human mind the real fact seems to bo that the contrary belief has ken almost universally prevalent In all the old religious systems the order of the universe has been regarded as distinctly unstable mutable and temporary A beginning and an end have always and everywhere been assumed and at either extremity ignorance has stationed a god All religions are buildedupon the hypothesis of a liability to constant interruption the course of terrestrial events at the whim and pleasure of a god Xot one of the creeds known to man ever at tained body and shape without containing in some form or another a belief in the existence of periodical convul sions caused by the caprice of some deity In spite of all such beliefs and in spite of all apparent violations of the orderly continuity of natural events the sequence of phenomena has in reality been a regular and uninterruptedone The vast changes that are known to have transpired are but the results of the slow and ceaseless workings of the ordinary physical forces throughenorm ously prolonged periods The inventors of the Christian system could penetrate no further in the dark backward andabysm of time beyond a few hundred years and here in their supreme ignorance they fixed the beginning of time Their knowledge of humanity was extremely limit ed in fact scarcely extending beyond their own tribal relations and they vainly imagined themselves the sum and substance of all Having to their own satisfaction fixed a beginning they conceived that there must come an end and so the two extremities of all existence were invented and taught Mysteries yet abounded To meet these emergencies they created an illogical and impossible god and believed they had found an answer Godwas a gigantic mistake God was the mo t unhappy invention that emanated from the brain of wan God became a monstrous instrument of torture an almighty fount of human misery and suffering Crafty and cunning wen became the expounders of the supposed laws of this godand turned the earth into a veritable cesspool of iniquityand cruelty Ignorant man bestowed the won drous glories of the universe upon the creature of his im agination Ignorant man believed that the god of his in vention laid hung the midnight heavens with patines of pure gold and had painted the rings of Saturn for his finite wonderingeyes to behold Did man but know that his very existence is lint an un important incident in the history of the universe mere infusoria born of heat and moisture perishing when the moisture is eliminated or the heat becomes greater or less ho would not have invented a god to frighten the minds of his fellowmen Had man never appeared the moun tains would have reared their rugged crests to meet the gloryof the unrisen sun the purple mists would have hovered oer the valleys tho rivers would have rolledon ward to the sea the tides ebbed and flowed not a star would have fallen from tho firmament not a planet hesita ted in its course not a drop of water or a grain of sand would have been more or lesshad man never been Then why presume so much Yesterday is forgotten Tomorrow is unknown We toil and strive here to trans form some particles of matter into various shapes but wo can create nothing destroy nothing God being but a creation of man and man not being capable of creating aught tangible god is intangible nothing WHAT IN PLACE OF CHRISTIANITY The question propounded by the caption of this article is not a new ono to tho many who valiantly defended the cause of JFreethought against Christian advocates and yet to tho superstitious mind it is not always that a suitable answer can bo given What would satisfy ono would leave another in doubt or create a suspicion and in either event but little of material gain would result Tho educated wellmeaning mind may bo able to understand to realise and ultimately to know but tho ignorant mind demands a temporizing that may not bo always suitable or available In tho first place let it be understood simple Christianity is but a mere form of faith a form of worship pretend ing to know the object to be worshipped and the results to bo secured thereby It assumes a god clothes him with purely human attributes makes him both vengeful and forgiving subject to changing moods and whims capable of being moved by prayer and prescribes certain formulas that must be complied with in order to reach and acquire and enjoy a fanciful state of bliss when the fitful fever of life is oer This is practically all there is to Christianity An unquestioning undoubting belief in such things an observance of its rites and a liberal contribution for tho promotion ofsuch a theological fantasy wins the brand of Christian character and marks its possessor as fit for tho enjoyment of ethereal joy Beyond this Christianity has nothing to do Tho charitable enterprises through such institutions as hospitals and colleges constitute no part or portion of Christianity for these would continue to bo thoughevery church in Christendom should bo destroyed They did not begin with Christianity and they will live on long ages after Christianity has been placed on the shelf of antiquity It is not necessary to bo a Christian believer in order to be humane good kindor charitablefor all of these virtues were known before Christian bblicfitbegan to bo they exist now independently such a jtclitfand will bccomq of greater moral worth to man when Christianity has fallen into disuse Regarding Christianity as a mere phase ofsuperstition and senseless worship demanding enormous tolls from the people without giving any equivalent therefor wo need nothingask for nothing and would offer nothing in its W IBLUEGRASS BLADE 11 place Under Christian instruction tin world is merely a playground for the devil of its theology to disport in at pleasure and to get tho minds of men and women who stillsupport the system rid ofsuch a belief would ho a decided humane advantage and nothing need he asked for as a substitute Under Christian tuition Nature was cursed by its god and those who undertook to study Nature were denounced as sorcerers With tho advancement of knowl edge and the achievements of science tho church has practically admitted its error and hero is another step forward for which nothing has been sought in lieu thereof When wo speak or write of destroying tho churches let it bo known that it is not intended that the buildings known as church buildings in which socalled Christians assemble to worship every Sunday are to be destroyed for it is doubtful if they can be but it is meant that the super stitions taught and practiced within their walls tho mean ingless mummeries and sophistries will be eliminated tho old god forgotten and tho now humanity enthroned Preachers are to become teachers Real human effort is to take tho place of futile prayer work made into wor ship and each unit of society taught to render real service for favors and benefits sought and desired It does not follow that because the church insists that what it teaches is true that it must be true Men have realized too well what this means The lessons of history tho demonstra tions of modern science tho intelligent thought of the world all point to tho erroneous suppositions and assump tions of the orthodox Christian church and these very ele ments combine upon the proposition that tho world would lose nothing by tho complete eradication of Christian superstition and that humanity could get along without it better than it has done with it Expose error and truth will immediately take its place Every honest thinker desires that error be uprooted None tire interested so much as to what comes in its place so long as another error is not substituted for it From tho mental and material accumulations of great minds the peo ple everywhere are growing better nobler and grander not only in their numbers but in their hearts and minds and these give a higher and a nobler purpose to life These tire now struggling toiling and striving for a realization of that great day when tho hopes of Whittier may be real ized as ho wrote Ohspeed tho day when liberty and love and truth and light throughout tho land bo known Then in place of the noxious products of Christian super stition wo would as Freethinkers plant tho seeds of un alloyed love and service in every human heart Wo would fill up tho bottomless pit with tho remnants of lead theolo gies and plant the tree of knowledge of science and educa tion in a more fruitful soil Wo would put sunshine into every human life Wo would wrest the scepter of authority from god arid place it in tho handof man THE PAINE CENTENNIAL While it is gratifying to learn through Secretary Elliott of the Paino Memorial Society that some of the Blade renders have gallantly made contributions to aid in defraying the expenses of the coming Centennial yet it is a source ofregret to know that funds are still lacking to make this celebration what it ought to bo and what it must be Tho Blade is fully cognizant of tho fact that tho busi ness and financial depression has wrought sad havoc with many pocketbooks as its own exchequer will bear witness but if ever there could bo a time when tho united efforts of Freethinkers were actually and positively needed that time is now and it centers upon and about the Paino Cen tennialBut little time remains The Centennial will be held this month It is drawing nigh upon us Every freethinker in the country will be anxious that it meet with success Many cannot afford to make a donation There are others who can Make an examination of your pocket and if you have a little spare change some that you can afford and will not miss much send it to tho managers of tho Centennial but their efforts may be productive of the best results Contributions may be sent direct to Dr E B Foote 120 Lexington Avenue New York City or when renewing your subscription you may send a small sum additional through tho Blade and it will be forwarded in your name Do not delay much longer or you may be too late to be of that practical service you intend About forty preachers of tho Campbollite persuasion met in Lexington this past week for the purpose of discussing and formulating plans for tho betterment of the difficulties encountered by the ministers in tho carrying out of their work It is worth something to know that there exists what is regarded as difficulties for only a few short years ago the ministers had easy sailing Not so very long and these difficulties will increase even far beyond where they are today In leaving tho cut made for tho publication of the portrait of Parker II Scrcombe which appeared in our of April IS last tho Blade unintentionally omitted mciition of the fact that tho original picture was issuoIrighted by F SC rT Fox photographers of This copyright had escaped our notice tho engraver also failed to observe itIlnd tho Blado gladly offers explanation that our readers may khow tho facts Does any render wish a bound volume of tho Blade for 1OS Wo have just two copies loft Tho first two send in 5350 will got one each and their names printed onItho cover in gold letters 12 BLUE GRASS BLADE Infidelity and Socialism They Are So Closely Related That One Is a Part of the Other Akin by Policy and Practice By Joe B Thorn There are a great many Socialists who are Infidels There Is a sayln gthat an Ig norant person is the hardest to convert to lulaositydom while the latter stands for mental freedom Socialism Lycurgus had principles in his govern ment which are akin to some of the prin ciples of Socialism of today And yet his government In many respects was just the opposite of modern Socialism Slavery was the greatest crime that Sparta tolerated In regard to this slavery the servants as a rule were better off than our proletariat of today At least they got something to eat and didnt have to work fourteen or fifteen hours a day at breakneck speed in an Illkept factory Socialism Is a foregone conclusion It wont come all of a sudden but will rather evolve slowly but surely from private own ership to public ownership The gas company In New York says that the 80cent gas law in New York means confiscation This company has stolen a great amount of money from the people but somehow the word confiscation dont just fit in here I suppose the word stolen would fit better Under our present system man is forced by sheer necessity to destroy and waste the resources of his country to obtain a bare living This Is forced upon him by a combination of capital At the rate we are going now a few hundred years hence and our posterity will be in possession of one gigantic Sa American civilization will prove it self to be the most expensive thing of its kind that future generations shall witness unless this wildcat way of doing things la put to an end The carelessness of the corporations In mining in lumbering etc and the great waste resulting therefrom wnl cause future America to become a modern Gobi You ask a cure for these things I say Socialism Under a Socialistic form of government the people would control all of these things and then if they showed no better judgment than to continue these ex cesses it would be their own lookout In my opinion the world Is not ready for international Socialism We should first strive for national and then for interna tional Socialism First secure your halter and then catch your horse Let our motto be All workers and no drones America has a great many uncrowned kings Our great millionaires and multi millionaires possess their great kingdoms and dukedoms nay everything sav title Here a question arises Is this a moral right You might as well ask if it were a moral right to steal The terms are dif ferent but the results are the same Heres a big mining concern It puts In a piece of machinery that can do the work of fifty men in one day Consequently 49 men are thrown out ot work Wouldnt it be much better if the entire 50 were allow ed to work under the common ownership of the concern for so long and then quit Socialism does not mean confiscation It means the gradual assumption of stolen has rushed pellmell through hIs politics without considering that the paltry sum of 25 or 50 cents for his vote means just four years longer of enslavement The machinery of Wall Street controls at present the destiny of American human ity and it is well oiled with victims Perhaps I should not use destiny in tae above sentence for the American pro ducers are capable of thrusting this alien parasite out of business merely by that yet unstolen sign of liberty the ballot This Is Free Speech America yet a peaceable congregation of American labor ers petitioning their rights is termed Anarchistic and the result is the assembly is cleared by resort to violence If neces saryGentrally speaking the hardest laborers are greatest oppressed God deserves great credit for his money invested in the Trinity Churcif Her tenements are de clared to be the worst kept in New York yet that civilized creature callwl Man must inhabit these stys that a pig would b ashamed to call his own There are thousands of willing to work American people that hath not where to lay their heads Tho rich man has stolen the poor mans pillow The people are capable of rightln these wrongs By merely voting the red ticket they will find that a bad beginning has a good end Infidelity- I think that is a beautiful word but dont just exactly like the modern use of the the mind is to the body Free thought is to SEoclallsra You cant expect to get good results physically and have your mind handicapped by a creed that prescribes which days to use your physical powers and which day to rest them Dont go like Jason with one sandal on and the other off Religion and wealth ever go hand In hand Wealth holds up the church and the church in turn teaches servitude I believe mental freedom as Important as physical If we are going to pull down the capital ists lets give the church a place in the debris What is the use of spending your life in studying the mysterious waye of God and planting polsnmous weeds o dogmas and creeds upon the fertile brain ot an innocent child It is will powr and not faith that is moving the no contains digging clICanals and making the earth That skulking form of midnight calledIfaith Is the same black war dour thatihas enshrouded the each for centuries Until recently only i spark of light has pierced the cloud hero Lull there But now the light is penetrating far and wide and bids fair to drive this monster of woe and distress far into tho paat unwept and unmlssed by a rejoicing Immunity If you can take man and vii a little faith and when he dies no Is transformed into an angel please tell mo h nv ilevils are manufactured Just now it is that an Immortal soul and an Immaterial God could see much tn in a material heaven gold and precious stones I cant make out I suppose it is because I havent the faith Anyhow we must make allowances for otnor peoples Tieathen who never hoard of God or the three in one proposition go to Hell If not whats the use ot converting them and giving them ten chances to one of getting there express prepaid- If you should love your enemies as your friends Is equivalent to saying If I have got to love God I am going to love the Devil too Well heres Socialism and mental liber ty Until man has attained these ends he must expect to remain in his servile con dltlonIHow ere it be It seems to me tis only noble Kind hearts are more than coronete And simple reason greater Than Christian fraud W F BozemanISouthern Fruit Melons a specialty ence buying and usual follolw the business In Georgia Ala bama and Indiana I BLUE GRASS BLADE 13 MOONLIGHT DREAMING By The Chaplain Last night in the glory of moonlight When its sheen through my window came bright Thought flowed from tho minds deepest shadows On tho cross and Its priests and their blight I thought of the millions Imbeciles The women as well as the men Who know not through Reason priest blighted The Wonders of Life by a pen mighty than all revelations that the IMore of the earth have proclaimed he tells us Creations grand story namedlso Tho wonders of Natures great plan Till evolved tho brains of a Haeckel Tho acme tho climax In man I thought of Saladln the fearless- In thoughts imperial world Flashing a blade undaunted With his shafts of lightning hurled Always in the front of battle Gainst the cross of Christ and Rome Driving his steel In its sacred heart Driving It surely home With the splendor of moonlight still shining A Lady proudborn of tho free 1Cbe Blades Cottttespondence NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN PROGRAM OF SPEAKERS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO MATERIAL IST ASSOCIATION For May Every Friday Evening MAY 7th Science Darwin and After By Wm McDovltt LL Registrar tho University of Washington MAY 14th Tho Mystery of ArtDy E Backus University Graduate and former Saturday Evening Tribune MAY 21st and Civilization By Kirk Attorney for Defense League 28thI Superstition Came to mo in thoughts wondervision In her songs of sweet liberty That shall live when the cross Is forgotten And its priesthood remembered no more For Florence was born In the purple With humanity true to the core With my room silverlined in the moonlight Tho beauty of solitudes world Came flashing in thoughts lofty grandeur Uplifting ennobling unfurled Then I lived for the moment exalted the moon flashed its light on the scene As I thought of tho genius Immortal- In the birth of our Josephine I thought ota brave man dreaming Who made Kentucky far famed Through the Truth he in his paper And superstitions shamed Till It hides Its head base Llko the craven cowards of men of the light eternal When Truth Is guiding a pen And here in the splendor of moonlight- I thought of those fagots and That circled and round a Bruno And other of Freedoms names I thought of the rack of tho thumbscrew Felt the mold of dungeons there And eternal damnation- To tho priests of Christianitys lair San Francisco Calif tN N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N 0 r Y i 1 N N Nr before former of Greek editor Crime E E Union of h While blazed lying Afraid flames curled proud damp vowed r By George E Kendall of England JUNE 4th The Motive Forces of Human Action By Cameron H King Jr AttorneyatLaw JUNE 11th Misconceptions of Spirit and Matter By Prof Overstreet Dept of Philosophy at State UniversityJUNE 18th Tho Most Wonderful Thing In the World By Geo E Tho Atheist Shelley By Wm McDevitt LL M former Registrar of the Uni versity of Washington Jefferson Square Big 925 Golden Gate Av J FRANTZ State Secretary and Local Organizer of tho Materialist Association Freethought In the West NOSIER OREGONIt no doubt seems strange to you that I dont send my an swers to the questions in tho Correspondence School I am situated on a home stead that I filed on December 1904 here In the great fruit region among the Cas cade Mountains I have no Income save that which I derive from manual labor This labor consists In caring foafruit trees and handling fruit for other persons and when at home I am Improving a ranch or my own I began gathering cherries for market last June and was continuously handling the various fruits of this section until December One of my neighbors has over 5000 boxes of apples We had to care for sick persons this winter and It seemed that I was never In a fit condition of mind or had sufficient time to answer those questions in my study course- I have read much in the text books in fact half way through them and I think I am now so situated as to bo able to take up the courses with the class and would send In answers to all previous months questions with those that are now to fol low Write and let me know what Is your desire regarding this matter and I shall comply with your wishes as soon as pos sible I am willing to compensate you in cash for any extra trouble I cause you I could not help my unfortunate position re garding this class work I nm delighted with the studies and shall pursue them to the end of the entire years course whether I am a member of tho class or not It Is the knowledge I desire much more than a diploma I have two diplomas now that have never used or tacked up It is a pleasure to study and I fully realize that I know so little regarding Nature and her immutable laws I am glad you have traveled over our Pacific Coast country I have lived 22 years on this coast and have resided in California Oregon Washington and have spent four years In the Land of the night Sun I was not so lucky there In I finding nuggets as Swift Water Bill and Anderson of Dawson I had many thrilling experiences in that land but am glad to have seen some of Natures wonders in Alaska A trip to Alaska on one of the fine tourist ships during June July or August through the Inside Passage Is a pleasure beyond language to express Its grandeur and sublimity its towering peaks and whiterobed glaciers with cataracts and cascades pouring over their seabordered cliffs leaping hundreds of feet at a bound and landing Into tho Great Deep with roar and tumult amidst dazzling brightness of all colors of the rainbow which Is vividly seen along the crest of moving water an makes a scene wonderful to behold The landscape Is so diversified as wo journey It 14 BLUE GRASS BLADE along that monotony is dispensed with As the vessel rounds an island cape or prom ontory a new scene presents Itself with new and absorbing features It is very in teresting to see thousands of seals and many whales playing and frisking about In all is Ground Hog Day The sun is shining warm and if Mr Hog is out he will doubtless see his shadow and go back to stay six weeks Pshaw What a hoax Please pardon my long letter spent a week in Pcrtland during the holidays Had a good time at the theater and the Lodge Also wen t to church Sunday at White Temple and headr a 20minutes sermon It was not so mediaeval as I listened to 20 years since With best wishes to you in all your undertakings I am yours kindly R W SIMPSON Box Preacher Doesnt Know ZOAR OI have mailed you under sep arate cover a copy of the Cleveland Lead er where you will find marked on first page what Rev George has to say regard ing Patten a Chicago speculator- It has amused me to learn that the Rev suggests the stopping of praying for our dally bread and instead of that mete out punishment to Mr Patten which his god falls to do himself The Rev is not posted in the grain bus iness and talks about something entirely out of his line There sa shortage of wheat which has caused this advance and no man could manipulate the grain mar kets in a way the Rev says Patten is guilty of Maybe the Rev has seen a few copies of the Dlade and has lost faith in prayers Anyway he is taking a long step in the right direction when he favors the stopping of prayers even If u is only tem porarily Accept my best wishes I am your old friend PETER BIMELER THE PAINE CENTENNIAL Strong Talk from Secretary Elliott upon the Coming Celebration at New Rochelle By James B Elliott The program for the commemoration of the centennary of the death of Thomas Paine to bo held on Sunday and Monday May 3031st at New Rochelle Is nearly complete The expenses will be great and among the number of distinguished men who have been invited to attend are Wu Ting Fang Elbert Hubbard Booker Wash ington etc Those wishing their names recorded on tho roll of honor should write at once for programs- A few have responded to tho call in the Blade but Missouri Mississippi liberty loving Rhode Island and no New England are yet in Kentucky and North Carolina have been heard from The largest sub scrlbtion has come from California Ohio stands next There are but a few weeks yet so respond at once- I enclose program of the National Fed oration of Religious Liberals Meeting In this city also some of the addresses They meet In the Quaker Meeting House and all of the addresses show the great influence of the religion of Thomas Paine as pro claimed more than a century ago I am inspired by the progress made and the lib erality of the speakers at the meeting- I am discouraged at the small response received Nearly one half of the States have not a representative nor tho comfort er of the Almighty Dollar Must the name of Thomas Paine be for gotten while the churches grow The Catholic Church have only to call on Paddy and get all the money they need Pad dy every year gives liberally to his religion in addition to supporting a large family If wo had a few men of the Paddy type who would go down in their pockets once In a century the Paine meeting would be a grand success such a demonstration as would convince Teddy that the Atheist had a few friends in this country- It all depends on the Almighty Dollar be it green or yellow Send your name at once to Dr Foote They are celebrating the 400th anniver sary of the birth of John Calvin In this city also the anniversary of St James Church founded by Bishop White In 1809 It was ho who wrote against Thomas Paine and Girard College Are the Blade readers asleep Wake up and do something that your children will be proud of Do this in memory of Bro Chas C Moore who will be with us In spiritI Just received a letter from a Western lady who has decided to dispense with her spring hat also a man who Is raising a calf both will devote the price to aid tho Paine Celebration If each Paine admirer would only give a days wages the success of the undertaking would be assured and you will receive the pamphlet of tho Paines Day proceed rings nicely illustrated with tho latest views as a souvenir also a facsimile copy of a letter written by Paine to Gen Green which sold In Philadelphia for 7000 Is not this worth something THE PLANETSISI AddressMIN II1I 11101111FI THE WHEEL OF LIFE A Monthly Paper Published by Life Publishing Co St oLuls Mo Edited by W C Cope DEALS WITH ORIGINS The origin of Marriage of Ethics of Re llglon of Brotherhood of the belief In Im mortality It treats broatuy of Loye ol Human Instincts anu Ideals It takes In the whole Wheel of Life treating all sub jtes In suet a clear plain and cplcy way that the dust is shaken out and they be come as Interesting as a novel to evun the casual reader Send 10 cents for a rill months trial subscription or quarter for a year to the Life Pub Co St Louis Mo Murrays Clearance Sale Byrons Forbidden Fruit Paul Berts Jesuit Morals Tolstoia Root of Evil Silcoxs Sacredness of Man Livingston and the Doers Murrays British Land lord Moses and the Prophets 39 Propositions of a Pagans Religion The Open Challenge Ten Commandments Bible Texts etc etc The total retail price of the lot comes to cents I will send tho whole together postpaid for 25 cents These pamphlets will suit tho lowers of Voltaire Thomas Paine and Aris totle They will not please Atheists NORMAN MURRAY St James St Montreal Canada Naumans Orchestra E D NAUMAN Violin ANNA L NAUMAN Piano OTTO S NAUMAN Cornet- or Clarinet Other Instruments Added If Desired Over pieces of tho best music suitable for any program always on hand Phone 128 12 Lock Eox SIGOURNEY 800I v IBLUEGRASS BLADE 10 Be Sure and 8ubcrlh for Secular Thought- Fortnightly Journal of Rational Criti cism In Politics Science an Religion Organ of the CANADIAN SECULAR UNION AND THE II TORONTO SECULAR SOCIETY Editor J Spencer Ellis Published at 185 Queen St West To ronto Canada Terms per annum in advance single copies 10 cents All communications for the Editorial de partment should be addressed J Spencer Ellis Secular Thought 185 Queen St West loronto Can All Business communications orders for books printing etc should he addressed C ELLIs Proprietor and Publisher Secular Thought Toronto Can GRADUATION GIFTS What can be nicer and more suitable for such gifts than a genuine Diamond daintily mounted In Ring Pin Stud or otherwise These can be had for 10 20 and up They are Indestructible a Joy forever and will last as long as the world will revolve In its orbit neither do they aver depreciate In value Or n Gold Watch which is useful during life as well as ornamentalLADIES GOLD WATCHES Large size Elgin Waltham or Hamp den 20year goldfilled hunting case latest style artistic hondcnased 7 Jewels J9 15 Jewels 16 Jewels adj Small size 7 Jewels 15 Jewels 13 16 jewels adj 18 Riverside extra fine In 25year case more In 14k solid gold case 10 to 20 more All in velvet box prepaid wit guarantee Every watch fresh from factory CHAINS FOBS OR LONG GUARDS Latest styles best filled 2 and THE IDEAL GENTLEMANS WATCH Small 12 size Hampden elegant ar tistic handchased or engineturned gold filled hunting case guaranteed 25years Genl Stark 15 Jewels 15 Deuber Grand 17 Jewels adjusted liGO John Hancock 21 Jewels extra fine 2900 In open face screw case 100 less Also in solid gold Send for prices of Watches not here enumerated Jewelry Rings Silverware m gersoll Spoons Freethought Badges Opti cal Goods Ring Guage and my tract The ism In the Crucible free Describe goods wanted as near as possi ble 10 per cent off In lots two or more OTTO WETTSTEIN La Grange Cook County SEEDSFresh to Please Planteritouldtesttha nerltaof SPECIAL OFFER IweFAMOUS OLLECTioN I TatePrise Rdtb I 0I AlTuletles its nnln to NOItTlIERN Inrudl SrED 10 Bose 8t Rockford Illinois TOMORROW MAGAZINE FOR PEOPLE WHO THINK TOMORROW does not draw Its inspira tion from Tradition Mysticism Super stition or Custom It is A Journal of Rationalism Dealing with the questions of Life from the impersonalstandpoint and accepting the scientific interpretation of all phenomena TOMORROW is not for those who are partisannot for those who am wedded- to some pet belief or ismnot for those who are governed by fear of God or of Send 15 cents for Three Months Trial lOc the Copy 100 the Year 415 Crocker Los Angeles Calif Public Opinion- TOMORROW is for Free Soulsfor Men and Women who are not Afraid to Think in Harmony with Natures Laws TOMORROW PUBLISHING CO 139 E 56th St CHICAGO ILL Subscription and our Special Book Offer The Woman and The Prospector is the title of a romance every man woman and child should read It should be In the hands of all who are opposed to supersti tion and graft as It Is a protest against vaccination vivisection medical legislation and the administration of drugs to human beings at the same time points out the only method for the cure of the consump tive The booklet Is really free but the cost of advertising and postage we figure at 10 cents so If you wish a copy send us 10 cents A M PARKER SEND 10c FOR SAMPLE OF Healds Religious StickersT- he same being short quotations fror Our Dear Heavenly Father Our Bless ed Savior Baalams Ass Mary Christ Our Friend the Devil and other personages of sacred memory These are suitable for sticking on church doors and other objects where they will do the most good In spreading the glad tic Ings of great joy Until April 1909 address FRANKLIN HEALD Clrclevllle Ohl Do You Believe That We Humans are as Important ai Pigs Potatoes and Pups Do you believe that we grownups mill eves the Children should know much about ourFolvep we know aboi FUhe1 riuwrr nni Flogs D you believe In Better Fiogeny a More Elevated Race anyway If so Fend 225 for a years subscription to the American Journal of Eugenics and be in the Van of Human Progress Published monthly at 649 South Malt St Los Angeles California U S Samples ten cents Trial three month with pamphlet Institutional Marriage cents sumps The Holy BibleIn Nutshell New Booklet showing up the contradlc tlons and fallacies of the Christian bible Justt he thing to pass around among your religious friends to Jarr their faith and destroy their godwebs Ready Soo Order Nowl Single copy 10c 3 for 25c for 100tFRANTZ 1112 Eddy Street San Francisco Cal r SEEDS SPECIAL OFFER lads to build lUilirw trIal makeyou our Prize Collection Uri tTrlp jiiiiGUARANTEED Write today Mention this TarleISEND 10 CENTSneon this Intraellr Ifeutlti Yiant 11e Sd 1 teed iBOOU r I Mans Origin and Destiny By Dr A Hausman Alameda California This is the Greatest Book of modern times on the theory of Evolution applied to Sociology It will shortly be issued in book form by the Blue Grass Blade making a book of nearly 500 pages The author has dedicated it to Prof Ernst Haeckel and tho great Jena philosopher has accepted the dedication l 200 200 Subscribe Now and Save Money All charges of postage will be prepaid upon advance subscriptions i The first chapters are now in the press and publication in book form will immediately 1follow its serial publication in the hlade columns Subscribe Now Subscribe Now JAMES E HUGHES Lexington Ky IFREE TRIP COAST to the ARE YOUCNE ofthe many thous ands who want to explore this Wonderland SUNSET MAGAZINE has instituted new department whose special work it is to put within the reach of every one an opportunity to see the FAR WEST Write for Sample Copy For full particular addrcu 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fit to ornament the finest library containing pages printed on heavy eggshell paper and bound in oxblood cloth Price 150 GRASS BLADE Lexington Ky Ono it

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