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Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, October 31, 1909.

Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.): n. Sunday, October 31, 1909. Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.). 400dpi TIFF G4 page images Blade Publishing Co., Lexington, Kentucky 1909 blu1909103101 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, October 31, 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. r rti BLUE GRAtfS BLADE Volume XVIII LEXINGTON KY OCTOBER 31 1909 Number 29 DEVOTED TO THE PROPAGANDA OF FREEDOM OF THOUGHT iCrnllrgt 5H0U01jt plainrCosmopolitan Magazine 1 When Jesus Christ the virgins son was born in Palestine little thought that college mentwouldsay in NineteenNine i fTheyhorrid things about his church as they now say today Science has the upper hand of superstitions sway t r They little thought that narvar Yale and Princeton bucks the line i Ofsuperstitions weak defense to luck a goal sometimes i When all the great unthinking mass shall read their title clear To just a little common sense in college teachings here iOurof long and deep research Says missions far are never right conducted by the church And other men have said the same for trouble sure will come Where they raise the standard of the cross and graft for Marys son And Cornell speaks of arrogance within the churches fold And says that dogma conjures doubt and will not lasting hold If one would live as Freemen live seeking a higher light Than taught by priests throughout the world in superstitions i blight Theyre burning churches now in Spain some day the thoughtrwill come I To all the great unlettered mass how freedoms truly won r- And then the priest and his cross and Christ will lasting buried he iiJ With Freedoms banners on the heights It For all eternity San Francisco California t t rf i J r1 LLL IJ 2 BLUE GRASS BLADE A Freethinker on the Defensivei Investigation Will Prove Any Truth More Clearly Women Fear Inquiry Into Religious Ideas Extension of Religious Controversy By Lou Lawrence This fear about the investigation of religious subjects is a uzzlo to me My Methodism was one as ardent as the religious bias of any woman of my acquaintance Indeed I think I must have had a little more faith in the foundation of my creed than most of you for I did not hesitate to investigate the objections that were brought against it I said My creed is true and the more a truth is investigated the moro evident it will become Now doesnt that seem reasonable If looking at the blinds you decided that the sun was shining and I declared that it was not would you hesitate to open the shutters for the purpose of deciding the matter If you were correct in your judgment you would con vince me of my error but if you were mistaken no amount of belief on your part would warm the air Just so it is with religious ideas If they arc true investi gation will but demonstrate the fact more clearly if they are false no amount of belief will make them realities Belief in a future life will not make one immortal any moro than belief in the nutritive qualities of sand would keep one from starving if ho adopted that article as a daily diet But there is another kindof fear which deters people pecially women from the investigation of their religious ideas I do not think this consideration has the same power over men Indeed the contrary seems quite evident for there can be little doubt that there are a hundred men who are Rationalists in matters of religion to where there is one woman and the reason for this disparity in numbers is the reason why women refuse to consider the subject Women are more afraid of public opinion than men are unless they the men happen to be running for office Women accept their religions as they accept their fashionsbecause they are the fashion It is not necessary to trace this undue fear of running counter to public opinion which characterizes the female man but it is there in excess of that possessed by her brothers Of course if men in general were to discard their religious beliefs and make open avowal of their mental attitude women would soon follow Mental independence would bo in the air Ueason would occupy the pulpit Freethought would be the fashion But men have so long been the leaders of thought that they must continue to be so for a time to come And I would say here by way of parenthesis that if all the men in the United States who have lost faith in Christianity would come out and bodly declare their positions there would never be need for the erection of another church within her boundary Moreover if there were now as much skepticism among women as there is among men some of the churches already built would have to bo sold under the sheriffs hammer While women are more afraid of meriting popular odium than men are they are more ready to defy it when once it is cast upon them It is her fear of running counter to popular opinion coupled with her subordinate position as a leader of thought which deters woman from the consideration of the claims of her re ligious faith She has not been accustomed to having her idear nw accorded equal courtesy with those of men She shrinks from preferstooutside of what she considers to be tho pale of respectability I know my sisters that you have much more to contend with than men have and that is the excuse I make for your unnecessary conservatism in matters of religion Two more points which my friend made were First that the trials and disappointments of our present life were so numerous that it would not be worth living were it not as a prep aration for a future and happier existence and that our sorrow for our lost friends would be unbearable if we could not hope t meet them again If life is worth living only as a probation for eternity it is then valuable to those only to whom eternity will bring happi gamotoIs there any consolation in this idea Is it not possible that you may be one of those whose probation will not prove profit able Or if you are sure of your own gain how can you rest when you know that many of your friends will not make a safe landing on the shores of a happy eternity Can you see any consolation for the troubles of earth in tho contemplation of that thought Would it not bo moro satisfactory to know that what happiness one could obtain for himself and what joy ho could give to others were so much of an addition to the sum total of Universal Good which no false step in the evening of life could overbalance a hundredfold by bringing unmerited misery in the future Moreover what evidence have you that a future life would be any more satisfactory than the present one Is there any thing in Nature to warrant such a belief If a god of infinite power forced us into one life in which suffering predominates is there any reason to believe that ho would do any better by us in a second existence If god created man for eternity why did he not make him as he wanted him and place him where ho wanted him If an earthly life is necessary as a trial for eternity what becomes of children who die in infancy or at birth If the babe that never opens its eyes to tho light of this world is a fit inhabitant for Heaven why is an earthly life necessary for any individual except as an opportunity for send ing him to perdition If god can make a being fit for Heaven why docs ho not make all of that kind and place them there If he knows that any creature runs a risk of suffering inuch or littleby being forced upon an earthly life is it not criminal negligence or wilful culpability on his part when that being is born These questions are not irrelevant If you arc not satisfied with gods treatment of you hero and now it is more than good policy to make sure that ho will treat you better in the future If you saw a mother giving her child unnecessary pain today would you think it probable that she would treat it any better tomorrow If you saw your own child undergoing pain and suffering which you could prevent would you permit its misery to continue for years because you intended to give itan inher itance in the distant future This is just the sort ofconduct which you attribute to your goda god whom you declare to he infinite in love and power If you deny thisif you assert that god is doing the best ho can then you have no assurance that ho is able to do any better by you in that next Jife than ho J 9BLUEGRASS BLADE 3 is doing now In the light of Reason the probationary theory is not consolatory It is inconsistent even as applied to those to whom it promises a future of happiness and it is brutally immoral and unjust to those who are to fall victims to its merciless threats When our friends die would it not be desirable to believe that they are immune from not only the evils of this life but also from any possibility of additional evil inu life to come am far from arguing that the ills of life overbalance its pleas ures but whichever way that question is decided death is evitable and since the longer it is deferred the more pain and disappointment must bo added to the debit side of Lifes account I do see why men should not meet it with satisfaction at any time and lie down with no wish to make again a ventures which has been to the individual of every doubtful utility Who does not welcome sleep and what is the blessing which sleep brings but unconsciousness The rest it gives is the only good wo realize Then why should we not welcome Eternal Rest eternal seen in the light of Reason does not spear to be desirable even if it were an established fact All life passes through its various stages There are always infancy youth maturity and old age and if when the prime is passed the individualcannot diecannot pass into nothingness what a long long dreary old ago must be his Tho fable of eternal youth cannot stand the light of science Only tho sanguine imagination of mental childhood can harbor the hope of such a state Science proves that even worlds are born and die and it is tho veriest egotism in man to suppose that ho is an exception to the rule What begins in time must end in time The one immortal existence is Matter the sub stance if it bo called substance of which the great ALL is constructed the Force if it is to be called Force which builds all things There is no division There can be no division The Force is inherent in the Substance or the Substance is Centers on the Application of Evolution to Specie and Transitional Forms What is Patriotism 1 By Dr A Hausman The objections presented by D Leahy are partly directed against the fundamental principle of the theory of Evolution all Living organisms have a tendency to pro duce a greater number of descendants than possibly can exist on earth Malthusean theory and partly against points which form its main support From the strong terms in which ho ex presses his disbelief in tho natural con ception of the phenomenon of life it seems evident that ho belongs to tho large num ber of people who allow sentiment to persede the cold hard conclusions which reason compels us to draw from the actual facts and refuse to see things in the true light Man has learned front experience that the natural forces are inexorable in their action without tho slightest regard to his welfare and all his progress consists in gaining better knowledge of these sit r the mere expression of the Force Fundamentally all is one und that is the ONE IMMORTAL 0 my sisters with your belief in an eternal life with your hope of an eternal Heaven and your fear of an eternal Hell you do notyou cannot feel a satisfaction greater than is ex perienced by him who reads by the light of science that he is a part of the Infinite that his little life though so very small is a link in the beg nningless endless chain of the Cosmos that whatever his individual ills may be he is still a factor in the UNIVERSAL GOOD When I have looked out upon a Spring landscape and taken in the beauty of the springing grass the swelling buds tho shimmering water the misty hills and the smiling blue of that vast sea of ether over all and have clearly realized my oneness with all this natural glory I have felt an ccstacy which no dream of a Heaven largo enough for me but too narrow for all mankind could possibly awaken- I have said that man is the leader of thought the captain of the mental army I must now assert that woman is the maker of morals I do not mean that woman is never immoral or that she cannot be even more immoral than man But as a class women have borne the burden of moral progress shall not go into the details of any theory of the principles behind this fact His possibly selfish in its origina mere desire to please for individual gain But whatever its source it has been the bless ingtho salvation of the race It may be that woman has been industrious prudent patient selfsacrificing loving and virtuous because these qualities in creased her popularity with the opposite sex but in doing this she has builded these qualities into her nature she has trans mitted them in a measure to her sons as well as to her daughters and it remains only for her to widen her sphere until it is coextensive with that of her brothers and then to demand of them the same honor probity and purity which they demand of her To be continued I Dr Hausman Replies to Dennis Leahy Discussion promo powers or the laws which govern the natural phenomena to avoid the injurious effects and direct their energies to his ad D Leahy denies tho truth of the proposition that the unlimited propagation of life is an absolute impossibility by saying The theory has no foundation either in the facts or laws of nature There is absolutely no limit to mans power to provide subsistence for himself etc with out naming a single one of these laws and facts which reflects the theory ho expects us to accept his personal belief as proof tho same as Brother Johnson disposes of the science of astronomy by the simple statement that the sun do move The severe and often cruel conditions under which life is compelled to maintain its existence are disliked by most people and there arc many including I believe D Leahy and myself who would have ar ranged things a little better if they had made tho world But the living beings wore not asked their wishes they were called into existence without their consent and must accept conditions as they find them Tats is no exception but owing to his superior intellect he has been enabled better than many other creatures to adapt himself to his environment and that is all in which ho differs from the animal he has begun to understand his position towards nature which does not permit him to do what ho likes but what he must The theory of Malthus is not a matter of belief but a fact which has been proved mathematically and cannot be refuted He assumed that the population if not checked would be doubled every twentyfive years for a conservative estimate and everybody who carries out tile calculation on this basis will be astonished at the figures ho obtains Commencing with 1900 and assuming tho population of the world to be one thousand millions it would be in 2150 only two hundred and fifty years later 1024000 millions and it is easy to see that the earth would soon be too small for such members Now if D Leahy can prove that tile stupid doctrine is false his name will rank high in science but I fear it is a hopeless task Quite recently I had opportunity to witness the rapid progress tho Darwinian theory is making in scien tific circles Prof L Cordan of the Stan 4 BLUE GRASS BLADE ford University delivered a lecture on this subject which I attended and of curiosity to hear what he had to say about his teach er the lato L Agassiz who was the most prominent of Darwins opponents After discussing the theory and pointing out that natural science had been placed on a new basis since its discovery he said that he had been opposed to it at the beginning of his studies through the influence of Agassiz but later he became convinced of its truth and has been a firm believer ever since After the conclusion of the lecture someone from the audience asked the speaker if the Malthusian Theory was true and ho replied that one of the teachers of mathematics had made the calculation and proved that without a check the population would increase at a rate that in a certain time I forgot the exact figure but it was much less than our historical era man would not only fill the earth but the space of the solar system beyond the orbit of Jupiter However of 100000 children there are only 67000 left after three years and less than half reach the ago of 40 I would like to know how man could reproduce and multiply everything he eats and wears to infinity when long before that time his numbers would excess in bulk the earth Facts are stubborn the critic claims that wo are more concerned about overproduction than a scarcity of material for subsistence he does not consider the effect of our highly developed system of division of labor un der which one part of society produces an article which does not directly servo to sustain life and thereby making the va rious branches of industry dependent from each other During the past winter a large number of men in S Francisco about 15000 were saved by charity only from starving and although there was an abund ance of food in other parts it was beyond their reach Being without means of sub sistence and opportunity to work they rep resented undoubtedly an excess of population in any particular place Mr Leahy states that Destitution should not and would not exist in any city no matter how large it might grow if the natural laws had free lay and were not hampered by artificial laws but does not tell what these beneficient laws are and how they act I believe I have mentioned all the known laws that govern our social body and if there are others I would like to know It is easy enough to say in a gen eral way that something is in accordance or contradiction with some law but this proves nothing unless the law is defined and its effect demonstrated Turning to Mr Leahys comments on the origin of life and its subsequent modifica tions it is impossible to reply to his gen eral denial because that would simply l mean a repetition of the first part of the book in which all his objections have been mentioned and discussed They can not be called a critique because he does not es tablish a standard of perfection for com parison by which to measure the merits of the theory Concerning the origin of man we are placed in the alternative to accept either the old biblical story of creation or the theory of Evolution a third possi bility does not exist To pose as an agnos tic in science to refuse the ancient myth and deny the achievements of modern science is very easy and convenient in tended to reflect the appearance of pro found knowledge but forfeits the right to have a voice in the question Mr Leahy has not stated his views but having reject ed one possibility the theory of Evolution I must assume that he believes in the other in creation and will confine my reply to pointing out some errors that have inad vertently slipped into his writing Mr Leahys statement about the Dar winian conception of the origin of life is wrong and misleading there is no diversity of opinion in regard to it among the be lievers of the theory Hacokel I know from his own statement Darwin and all the scientists I know of admit with Hux ley that we are It devoid of any means of forming a definite conclusion as to the conditions of its appearance I have ex pressly admitted this ignorance adding that I consider it more rational to assume that the same forces which sustain life at present caused the elements to combine into the living substance at the beginning than to assume an act of creation which we can not conceive If Mr Leahy has u better suggestion to offer he ought to have done so Concerning the first Shape which life assumed we are compelled to believe that it appeared in the lowest form known because the history of life as far as wo know it from the petrified remains took an ascending course analogous to the evo lution of a single individual at the pres ent time But who ever said it commenced with one single cell7 there may have been millions and of a great variety It is indeed a sad fact that the origin of the first organism is a mere guess and did not take place under such favorable auspices as the creation of Adam who re membered the affair quite distinctly and put it on record in the Bible Admitting our ignorance about the origin of life this does not in the least affect the theory of Evolution which has for its object the de velopment of organic forms and is based upon the facts derived from the organic and inorganic kingdom That gaps exist in the series of transformation through which organic forms passed and that our pedigree is not as complete as we might wish it to be owing to the imperfection of the geological record is quite true but does not detract in the least from tho value of the remaining evidence which is deemed sufficient by the majority of scientists to establish the theory of Evolution as true beyond doubt and irrefutable Mr Leahys statement that the Dar winians tries to convey the impression that only one link is missing is without foundation there is no such an attempt by Darwins Hackels or any other work I have read There is such a statement to be found The term missing link was applied by the opponents to the intermediate form between the apes and man A That unknownfseriously affected variety and which is altogether contrary to winian Theory is new and incomprehensible to me likewise tho mysterious sentence II that complexity is at the expense of quantity which is entirely foreign to the D regards transitional forms I have mentioned a few but palaeontalogy gives a large number of connecting links One of the best examples is tho evolution of the horse from a fivetoed animal to the sin glehoofer described by the late Professor- E D Cope If the scientific method to draw conclu sions regarding the past from tho facts we possess in the present is mere con jecture it would be interesting to know what kind of evidence Mr Leahy would quire to prove events that happened thou sands or millions of years ago If a sci entist finds stones that show the effect of water and remnants of animals which live in that element and draws the deduction that the place was once a river or lake it is mere guess if ho finds petrified trees andconcludes that they were once alive and grew from a seed it is more conjec ture if he finds a crater and a lava bed and rashly infers that this was once a molten mass and flowed from a volcano it is a mere hypothesis but if the bible tells how a man called god created the world and of nothing and made an other man of the same material that is a fact and the holy truth And yet wo arc asked to reject tho Darwinian Theory because it is not entirely perfect and accept a fable for which exists not the slightest founda tion It is amusing and sometimes enjoy ing how our ideas are misconstruedeven if we express them us plainly as possible In the same number which contains Mr Leahys article Mr J A Boyer speaks of my seeming preference of German over American patriotism which he dis covered in the discussion of the social question I mentioned some social insti tutions which are better administrated in Germany as an illustration that the mere name of republic and declarations of lib erty on paper are not sufficient guaranty for good government but to ascribe this BLUE GRASS BLADE 5 criticism to patriotic feeling is entirely wrongI neither German American or any brandof patriotismthat is of the kind which inspired the armies of Napoleon and the secession of the South I judge a man by the way lidacts not by the country in which he is born I prefer an honest efficient government under a constitutional ruler to a dishonest incapable tyrannical government under the name of republic To what an extent sound judgment may bo superseded by fanatical prejudice is shown by an incident while I acted as correspondent f for one of the great daily papers in a large city I visited the Argentine Re public and took great interest in its po litical conditions which were almost un known in this country and until recently had been of an unsettled abnormal char I acter Although by name a republic the country had been ruled by the most arbi I The Fallacies Faith Intelligence Never Reckoned as a Factor Christian Believers Accept Without Investigation or Concern By H E Branch It was discovered at the Worlds gress of Religions at Chicago in 94 that all religions are alikebased on blind faith The Christian sees with the eye of faith Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen That is it is based on nothing real noth ing tangible nothing that intelligence can hitch a valid thought to It is such stuff as dreams are made of and sane reason can never accept it as a safe guide Intel ligence is not a necessary factor in re ligious faith It rests upon dreams mir acles and prophecies that would be barred from any court for lack of verification The Christians have faith that Moses re ceived the infallible law from god on Jit Sinai and the fact that that law is absurd inconsistent bestial and contradictory does not concern the Christian in the least Joe Smith received the Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni The Monitou or Great Spirit imparted his laws to the American Indian The angel of God told Joseph In a dream that Mary was with child by the Holy Ghost God transmitted the Koran to Mohammet None of these stories will bear tho test of intelligent investigation Each religion declares all other religions false and faith without evidence or veri fication is the only test The Parseo widow burning herself on tho funeral pyre of her husband exhibits a sublime faith that reason refuses to endorse The Indian r trary and blood thirsty dictators that could bo imagined and the crimes committed by these bandits in the name of liberty were so unutterly impossible in a civilized coun try that I thought a description would be interesting So I wrote a history of the country beginning with the war of In dependence against Spain and gathering the material from the most reliable official sources On my return to the city I was surprised at being frequently asked why I had not continued the correspondence and arriving at the office the chief editor ex plained that the old man had suppress ed the articles because it was a republic where these things happenedif it had been an empire nothing would have been so bad to be said about it For this kind of patriotism I have no use no matter what the label may be Alameda California of mother casting her babe to crocodiles to appease the wrath of god is evidence of blind faith and religious fanaticism The old time Methodist exhorter told of a deathbed scene where the departing pil grim saw angels hovering over the bed and heardsweet celestial music The victim of delirium tremens jim jamssees snakes dragons etc The testimony of the one is just as valid as that of the other Neither can be verified To show the fallacy and absurdity of tho Christian faith a very partial review of tho Jewish bondage and hegira will serve the purpose If wo may believe tho bible the Jews were never in bondage in Egypt The shoe was on the other foot When Joseph was made ruler over Egypt the Egyptians owned their homes and were prosperous In u dream god warned Pharaoh of the seven fat years and tho seven years of famine During the fat years Joseph taxed tho corn out of tho Egyptians cribs into tho government cribs And then came the dearth And tho famine was over all tho face of the earth Gen 4154 For these two years hath tho famine been in the land and yet there arc five years in which there shall neither be oaring nor harvest Gen 450 This was a rank violation of gods pledge to Noah While tho earth remainctli seedtime and harvest and cold and heat and summer anal winter and day and night shall not cease Gen 822 In spito of that godly promise seedtime and harvest ceased for some sent down to Egypt to buy corn t and Joseph supplying his brothers with wagons for removal to Egypt said Also regard not your stuff for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours Gen 4520 21 Joseph gave his father and brethren tho best land in Egypt and nourished them Gen 471112 and made them rulers over flocks and herds Gen 476 While Joseph gave to his father and breth ren land and corn taken from the Egyp tians he enslaved the Egyptians by taking their possessions and their liberties in exchange for bread And Joseph forf tIIeletroduced into Egypt by robbing the natives t and then placing them in bondage Yet this just and merciful god who made of one blood all nations of the earth and who is no respecter of persons permitted Israel to enslave and oppress his bene factors those who nourished Israel and his descendants saving them from famine There is no other instance on record where such base ingratitude was ever practiced In fact the whole thing is a pipe dream a romance of priestly fabrication Of all the nations described in Holy Writ the ancient Jews are chronicled as the lowest in scale of human development the vicious depraved and bestial Their mostIplane as n the Bible is lower that of theAfrican tribes as described by Stanley Speke Livingston and others It is unspeakable that the Jews could be guilty of such crimes as Scripture records against them God certainly slandered the Jews multiplied and waxed exceeding mighty and the land was filled with them And Pharoah said to his people Behold the people of tho chil dren of Israel are more and mightier than we Ex 1710 And tho people multiplied and waxed very mighty Ex 120 Hero god Pharaoh tell us tho Egyptians feared the Israelites because of their numbers and wealth A people cannot be mighty without great resources wealth People in bondage cannot bo mighty nor can slaves possess great wealth Even very much cattle Ex 1238 Tn this bible narrative the term cattle embraces all farm stock such as horses camels oxen asses sheep and goats Slavery cannot exist without slave conditions absence of property ariij power Tho Jews had both and were exceeding mighty Pharoah confessed his weakness and ability to cope with tho Tsralites See Ex 178 Tho story contradicts itself by recording the condition of tho Jews as wealthy and powerful superior to the Egyptians both in wealth and numbers Tito story is too absurd and contradictory for credence and only religious paranoiacs can entertain it JlIilIl l I t 6 BLUE GRASS BLADEtEx937HBehod the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle in the field upon the horses upon the asses upon the camels upon the oxen and upon the sheep there shall be a very grevious murrain Andall the cattle of Egypt died but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one After destroying all the cattle of Egypt as described the Lord sent a plague of blains and boils upon man and beast cat tieupon all the Egyptians Ex 98 11 A consistent yarn Even the slaves of Pharoah had servants besides Even very much cattle Ex 920 The Jews were the only wealthy slaves of which we have record Then we have that beautiful yarn about hail and fire smiting man and beast cattle and every herb of the field and II brake every tree There is also a Munchausen yarn about the wheat and rye surviving while flax and barley Evolution a Complete Organizer All Operations of Nature Uniform No Whims or Caprices The Conflict Between Theology and Evolution By A A Snow In Dennis Leahys criticism in the Blade of September 2of Dr Haiisinnns writ ings he seems to admit that Evolution has power of development of unimals and plants whose organization has been com menced by some power different from Evo lution But what that power is he does not so much as suggest He calls for proof that life began in a single cell Now the question seems to turn on this proposition Is Evolution a universal vital organizer That is Has all vital organization been brought about by Evolution And ifso organized life must have cither begun in the single cell or in some form oven lower than the simple sell soon to have passed through it for the cell is the lowest ele ment of organization wo can find So for all practical purposes we can say or ganization began there That is we can say it by that Evolution is the universalorganizer And so the question turns on that proposition T admitting that Evolution is an organizer t all how can we escape the conclusion that A is the universal or only organizer Especially so in view of the fact that we are destitute of any proof of there being any other organizer A party for the first time in their lives pass through a wheat growing coun try and they see men threshing and a large straw stack constantly becoming larger by straw falling upon it and one asks How did that straw pile get there were destroyed yet all mature virtually together Ex 92332 After destroying all the cattle flocks and herds of Egypt with murrain and all vegetation of Egypt with hail fire and locusts Ex 1014 again punishing the cattle the Egyptians must have had very hardy races of cattle Ex 1229 robbing the Egyptians of their jewels and raiment Ex 1230 thus making it utterly im possible for Pharoah to pursue anyone the Lord tells us Ex 149 Pharaoh pur sued after Israelites with horses and Ive given only a few of the ab surdities and contradictions of the biblical record of the Jewish bondage and hegira from Egypt I have given evidence enough Bolivar Missouri- to prove tho bible a hoax foisted upon humanity by a designing priesthood I assuming Why says one all by falling from that straw carrier as you see it now doing But says the objector We only see it increasing in size that way we dont see its beginning Now that objector is Brother Leahy From thirtyfive to fifty years ago when scientists were first forced to admit that Evolution was an organizer there was a great outcry in behalf of religion It seemed that there was not room for the new Bcicneo and religion to both exist luctantly and slowly the scientists came to acknowledge that Evolution was surely nn organizer but in deference to theology some of them took the position that Brother Leahy takes viz Evolution might not be the whole organizer Some other law might exist quite different from Evolution prob ably spiritual in its nature having the power of starting the organisms I remem ber Professor J W Dawson thirtyfive years ago took such a position but con tended that such a law if it exists ought to be in operation now and all down the ages ITo admitted that it had never yet been discovered but trusted it soon would be He stated that many learned scientists were eagerly searching for tho missing law and he trusted that it would be revealed perhaps within a decade or two Years since passed on the evidence of the work of Evolution has been piling up while its missing helpmate remains silent ns a myth The operations of nature are uniform There arc no whims or caprices in her methods of procedure When Isaac New ton discovered tho law of gravitation he settled the question for all time and places In vain might some theologian or Leahy object that while matter was so governed now it might not have been so from the beginning that at the formation of the earth and planets the material might have been brought together by some law other than gravital attraction that the gods surely had to have some employment some where When the law of Evolution as a vital organizer was discovered it settled the question of the generation of organized lifo universally and for all time Let us for a moment assume any other hypothesis Granting that Evolution is responsible for the finishing up of organisms for the latter additions of the structure What could bo the nature of the law or operation that began the structure If it was not Evolution what was itand how did it behave It could not have done its organizing gradually for that would be Evolu tion ia development from tho single cell up Organisms could not have eternally existed such a hypothesis is refuted by paleontology as incomplete as it may be There remains but one more possible hypo thesis and that isThat organisms and very complicated ones too must have sud denly sprang into existence contrary to any known laws For instance A mammal for the first time in history is suddenly to make its appearance on the globe The various elements to form its body must come from their different points on the earth carbon hydrogen oxygen phos phorus etc must all start on their journey together as a great army of soldiers mustered for battle Some of these ele ments must come for miles contrary to the laws of chemistry contrary to the laws of attraction of gravitation contrary to the laws of inertia and contrary to the resist ance of the air water and other elements And here we are only at the beginning of the absurdities involved in this last and only other hypothesis Not only would this law of primitive organization suspend the operation of other laws of nature but also do so during tho different periods of the worlds history No escape can be had from this alleged chaotic condition of natures laws by referring the operation to a hypothetical beginning for the myriads of species of animals and plants have made their appearance on the globe not in a beginning but during different periods all down the past ages as is proved by geology Does Brother Leahy really and earnestly believe or have any grounds whatever to placeinrightkindsfour winds of the Universe and arrange themselves into a fully developed animal never before known and that this is liable to take place at any time now or at any time or all times in the future and has Continued on Pace 12 BLUE GRASS BLADE 7 National Organization of American Freethinkers OFFICIAL CALL FOR CONVENTION In the name of and by the authority of the parsons whose names are hereunto affixed Freethinkers of the United States of America who having in writing duly expressed themselves as being in favor ofa new national organization that shall undertake and maintain a systematic and advised propaganda of Freethought principles all persons who hold and believe that the doctrines theories and teachings of the orthodox Christina church regarding the universe and the origin and destiny of mankind are erroneous and who believe that happiness and morality can be better subserved by a study and observance of Natural Law than through the medium of prayer faith or god worship who reject all phases and forms of superstition and idolatry who are free and who desire to be free from orthodox religious restraints in matters affecting human action and con science who believe in a full and complete separation of church and state with all that such separation implies are hereby called to meet in National Convention in the City of St Louis State of Missouri on Sunday November 14lh 1909 at the hour of oclock a m for the purpose of devising and adopting a declara tion of principles as a basis for such organization a constitution and bylaws for its proper and effective management and its better government to elect officers to outline and adopt a system of progaganda and to do nIl other acts and things that mayor shall be pertinent to and shall best subserve and aid in the accomplishment of the objects and purposes herein expressed Hotel Accommodations Arrangements have been mode and completed with the man agement of the Laclcde Hotel at Sixth and Chestnut streets in the City of St Louis for the accommodation and entertainment of all Freethinkers attending the convention nt fairly reasonable rates This hotel is conducted or tho European plan and pro vides sleeping accommodations only There is a well appointed restaurant in connection with tho hotel nt which good meals can be had for small cost The hotel rooms very in price and range from 50 cents to 100 per day according to quality of room or whether two occupy the same room Tho cost of meals will run from 20 cents up The hotel is large and commodious It has ample facilities for the accommodation of nil who wish to attend and is situated in the heart of the business district Business and Social Owing to the great distance that some of those attending the convention will have to travel and recognizing tho natural desire for sufficient social intercourse during tho convention that such a gathering must create there will bo an informal social and business gathering of the Freethinkers attending the convention and those residing in St Louis and vicinity in tho parlors of the Laclede Hotel on the Saturday night after supper preeedintr the Sunday of the convention This will afford an opportunity for renewing old friendships and forming new ones In order to facilitate the business of the convention there will also be an informal caucus to prepare an outline of the workof the convention select and appoint tho several committees name a temporary chairman and secretary in order to facilitate thi business of tho convention and assist in the speedy dispatcV its business The caucus will first designate a temporary chairman am secretary given due authority the temporary chairman will thereupon appoint the following committees On order of business on organization on constitution and bylaws on membersship and finance on propaganda enrlySundasubmission when the convention is properly called to order The Convention The Convention proper will be called to order promptly at 9 oclockon the morning of Sunday November 14th 1909 by the temporary chairman who shell be designated by the Saturday night caucus Such sessions as may be deemed necessary shall be held throughout the day The Convention Hall is situated nt ELEVENTH AND LOCUST STREETS Organized Societies All organized Freethought societies national state or local now actively engaged in tho dissemination of admitted Free thought principles are invited and requested to send or to cause to be sent any number of delegates or representatives to this Convention in order that the gathering may be made as universally expressive of American Freethought ns it is possible to be All individual Freethinkers will receive a hearty and cordial welcome Charter Members All persons Freethinkers adopting the declaration of prin ciples the constitution and bylaws of the organization and who shall attend the convention in person and all persons signifying their approval acceptance and adoption of the same in writing addressed to the Secretary within a time to be specified by the convention and all those whoso names are appended to this call shall be deemed and recorded on the hooks of the organization ag charter members thereof General Invitation Extending a fraternal calla fraternal invitation anda fraternal welcome to all who love mankind better than fancied gods who believe in the worship of work and who desire to unite and cooperate with us in the work of disseminating the high and eternal principles of truth as expressed by Freethought wo are John R Chnrlesworth Lexington Ky Parker H Scrcomb Chicago Til Dr T J Bowles Muncie Ind Helen M Lucas Marietta Ohio William C Cope St Louis Mo Josephine K Henry Versailles Ky T C Jefferies Cleveland Ohio Julie C Coon Bartow FIn J C Watkins Kanawha Falls W Va E D Northrup Ellicottville N Y George 0 Roberts Dennison Ohio D W Sanders Covington Ind J Atwood Culbertson Pittsbiirg Pa Carl Baerwalde Cleveland Ohio Charles F Randall Cherokee Okla J M Reed Chicago Ill J M Frost Tampa Fla Wm J Howerton Tularosa Texas James S Davis Wnynesficld Ohio James ONeal Ft Smith Ark E A Fitch Wilmington Vt R G Earle Pine Grove Ark Ella P Hunt Moline Kan Emily C Jones East Lynne Mo Anna 0 Jones East Lynne Mo Mrs Nels Johnson Higgins Texas W L Luce Annapolis Md M H Oherholtzer Los Angeles Cal Miss Elizabeth Wiley St Louis Mo Andrew Jackson Rover Washington D C E G Nichols Norge Vn Joel M Berry Nat Mil Home Ohio Harold Banning Mt Vernon OhioiCharles G Brown Ithaca N Y H M Fisk Pella Iowa A J Carson Ardmoro Okla George C Bartlett Tollnnd Conn Morngn Wamsley Cincinnati Ohio Oscar A Janicke Louisville Ky W A Cooper Milo Me Manly A Brigham Rumford Me 8 BLUE GRASS BLADE BLUE GRASS BLADE Published weekly at Lexington Ky rounded by Charles Chilton Moore In and edited by him until his death February JAMES HUGHES Publisher and Manager JOHN CHARLESWORTH Editor 128t N Limestone Street Lexington Ky P Box SUBSCRIPTION RATES postpaid per year In advance Five new yearly subscribers at one remittance 100 each Flee trial subscriptions sent in with one remittance for six months SI cents each Trial subscriptions cents per month Foreign subscription postpaid JJOt per year ADVERTISING RATES One Inch single column Insertion ft cents one month or four insertions Sltl alx month SStl one year Sllt Quarter column Insertion 161 one month 1410 ilx months SSIlt one year SSIlt 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 SUBSCRIPTIONS to the Blade will be discontinued at the expiration of the term for which the subscription hu been paid up In advance The address slip on the paper will show sub scribers the date of expiration of subscription Back numbers or number omitted will be sent If asked for upon renewal case of dlsclntlnuance mOULT ANT SUBSCRIBER change his or her address advise thi office giving both old and new address as desired THK OFFICB ef publlcatlen of the Blade is at IllIll North Lime stene Street Lexington Kentucky to which all Freethinkers will be given a hearty welcome THR BLADK is ent rd at thePostofflce at Lexington Kentucky as eendcUss raslllng matter ADDRFSB ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE BLUR GRASS BLADE P Box HI Lexington Ky WHAT THEY ARE THERE FOR When men are selected to direct and manage an educa tional department connected with any institution of whatever character the selection is usually and generally made witha view to their competence and skill as teachers their knowledge of the subjects which they are required to teach but above all there is demanded full and truthful expo sition of those subjects that the minds of pupils be not led astray or the instruction bo given them with a coloring adapted to servo certain interests only Connectedwith the University of Chicago an institution that is constantly coming into the limo light is a publica tion entitled The Biblical World and is connected with the Divinity School of that institution Itis edited by about a dozen of the professors with E D Burton D D at the head In a recent issue it expressed an editorial opinion that the bible or what it contains is not an adequate code of ethics and that oven tho new testament must be considered in the same light Tho one certain impression embodied in that editorial is that tho bible nl a whole is merely a historical record of tho evolution and religious ideals indicative only of the growth ofa pioral code and not n finality Tho Chicago Inter Ocean well known for its continued play to the orthodox clement for the sake of the shekels it is able to collect a sort of cheap newspaper comedy which is used for playing to the gal J leries takes issue with the expressions of these Professors and standing on the proposition that the bible is all that it is claimed to be divine infallible and its over impossible attributes this paper asks the pointed question what are these gentlemen there for a question which is answered by tho first paragraph of this article These gentlemen are there for the primary purpose of teaching and promulgating truth If tho truths they teach do not harmonize with the theological conception of the universe as held by the InterOcean it is the fault of the InterOcean and not the fault of tho truths The weak and peurilo arguments of this wouldbe orthodox paper maybe seen and understood by reading and thinking men and women from tho following It proceeds to condemn these gentlemen for teaching truth and then says It has not been thought necessary to establish special schools or faculties or even professorships to study and interpret old history books such as those of Herodotus or Thucydides or Tosephus or Tacitus Nor has it been deemed useful to take similar measures to explain and apply to daily life the moral precepts of Socrates or Plato of Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius- If the Bible be no more than the works that pass under these names why is so much attention given to it by the Divinity School on the Midway In a word if the Bible bo no more than the professors of tho Divinity School of tho University of Chicago seem to think it is what reason has that school for existence i Tho argument contained in lie first paragraph above quoted is absurdity gone mad There is no sacredotal system built up and around tho historical works mentioned nor do hireling preachers and impecunious newspaper anticipate expect or hope for monetary reward for teach ingwllfit they contain as is tlidcase with the bible Nor is tho bible of any higher historical value than tho writ ings spoken of In many instances tho history of the bible is merest fiction mere legends and tales born of oriental imagery Where data was not obtainable it was invented Nearly all tho histories of that period bear similar traits But there is this difference Man is to bo damned for rejecting even tho history of the bible whilo he can oxerciso his own pleasure regarding the others with out fear of tho consequences Only for tho money there is in its advocacy tho bible would sink far lower in public estimation than the InterOcean if that bo possible In so far as tho argument of tho second paragraph is concerned it is readily accepted by all intelligent persons that in all institutions where the classics are taught the morals of tho writers described are taught and compared with tho moral precepts of modern Christianity and to tho lattors discredit What are considered as the best of tho moral precepts now taught as Christian are merely borrowed from ancient pagan systems Tho sermon on tho mount taught nothing now It is an eclectic composition never actually delivered by tho person to whom it is I Hj I BLUE GRASS BLADE 9 ascribed but made up by interested writers for the purpose of giving a sort of religious authority or sanction for its acceptance Scholars both recognize and admit that the moral precepts of Socrates Plato Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius were actually written and promulgated by them but as concerns the alleged moral precepts of the bible they are of unknown authorship It is probable that no very serious attack would have been made upon the bible but for the extravagant claims made in its behalf Had it been allowed to take its place side by side with the sacred writings of other and older religions where it belongs the InterOcean would not in these days be compelled to attempt its defense The Chicago professors will it is presumed continue to teach truth concerning the bible its moral codes and pre cepts such as it may boast and their successors will be foundcontinuing the work when the InterOcean shall be deadand forgotten by men- IMMIGRATION AND ORTHODOXY The City of Pittsburg was recently made the Mecca for the Campbollites of America who delight in styling them selves Disciples of Christ to the exclusion of other sects of the same faith The event was to celebrate the work of Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone one century ago when they rent the Baptist church in twain because ofa difference of opinion concerning baptism before or after conversionAs be presumed the celebration was made the occasion for much superstitious revelry and yet not a few practical ideas were promulgated Many of the latter however were not designed or uttered for tho benefit of humanity as a whole but for the benefit of the churchand its advocates Nor indeed was the whole orthodox church taken into consideration merely the one sect the Dis ciples which constitute but an insignificant part of the whole Through the thoughtful tact of a Pittsbprg friend tho Blade has received copies of the Pittsburg newspapers containing reports of the meetings synopsis of some of tho talkfeasts indulged in with an outline of the sentiments offered Prominent among these was an address by Charles M Sharpo dean of tho bible college of Missouri in which ho held tho alien immigrant was a menace to Americans unless ho be taught tho principles and tenets of Christianity Particularizing upon these immigrants Mr Sharpo classi fied them as They are prevailingly from tho illiterate and degraded peasant populations of eastern and southern Europe They aro of nationalities untrained in tho principles and prac tice of democracy Tho religion to which they have ad hered knows nothing of tho worth and dignity of man It is rather difficult to understand just how Mr Sharpe reaches such a conclusion unless he regards or presumes to regard tho Campbellito church as all there is to Christianity In Southern Europe wo find such countries as Spain Italy Hungary Austria and the innumerable 4 petty kingdoms that for centuries have been under the sway and dominion of the popes and it would be the height of presumption for Mr Sharpe to insist that such people as emigrate to America therefrom had heard nothing knew nothing and understood nothing of Christianity Traveling eastward on the European continent we observe Russia and Greece both under the thralldom of Christianity whose peoples have observed Christian rites and Christian ceremonies for centuries before Alexander Campbell or Barton Stone were born Tho Christianity of the nations here enumerated is of tho most excessive and virile form It is the same kind of Christianity that held Europe creed bound and mindfettered throughout all the dark ages against which even the Campbellito church is a revolt That many of these peoples are illiterate and degraded is doubtless true but that is their misfortune and not their specific fault It is their misfortune due to accident of birth that they first saw the light where such religious conditions prevailed Their illiteracy is due to a combi nation of church and state a condition that would exist in America today but for the vigilance and aggressive war faro maintained by the Freethought element to keep the church from interfering with the republican institutions of the country Their degradation arises from the same source as their illiteracy and is further induced by the excessive burdens imposed upon them by having to support both priest and king the two latter invariably playing a losing game into each others hands History records the fact that illiteracy and degradation have been the con comitants of the Christian religion wherever the latter has been in power and authority Only as light began to break through the dark clouds of orthodoxy did education advance and with education came mental liberty The Christian church realized these results of education They its paid advocates saw and understood At every forward step they blocked the way The purpose of this harangue was to induce a missionary work among these people in this country to proselyte them for tho Campbellito church The sole desire being to build up one Christian sect at the expense of another Christian sectPassing further east through Europe we come to Turkey Persia and other small principalities that is under Mo hammodan rule True these are not Christian nations but they are religious and tho elementary principles of allreligions are one and the same They wore born of ignorance and fear Innumerable cruelties have been recounted against both Turkey and Persia but these have been altogether due to religious influences the intermed- dling of Christian missionaries who imagine themselves godsent to turn Mohammedans into Christian believers There may be considerable truth in the statement that the class of immigrants referred to know nothing of the worth and dignity of man but it is because their mental training has all been under the influence of superstitious creeds and the very doctrines taught and promulgated by Mr Sharpe and the Oampbellito church still degrade man 10 BLUE GRASS BLADE as a fallen being sinful by very nature a sort of ignom inous blacksheep who by his will and volition fell into heavenly disgrace Then the question arises would the doctrines these men propose to instill into the ear of the immigrant hold forth any higher degree of the worth and dignity of man We do not think so The entire Chris tian world degrades man by giving him a fictitious origin and an impossible destiny They would fill him with superstitious ideals and creeds slightly differing in form from those to which ho had been accustomed in the hope that ho would become a contributor to this particular sect andcease to aid the sect to which he had formerly belonged But the very arguments Mr Sharpe has adduced viewed in the light of past history and present fact constitutes an accusation against Christianity and its influences over the race Illiteracy and degradation coming from intensely Christian countries depending for light upon the advances of another Christian element is an amusing farce It is noticeable however that no reference is made to those immigrants from Western and Northern Europe The reason is plain Germany England France Norway Sweden Denmark and in fact all tlio Scandinavian coun tries have furnished large numbers of active workers in the ranks of American Freethought Our personal ex perience in Wisconsin Minnesota and the Dakotas which States are largely settled by Scandinavian peoples long ago brought the conviction that an extreme liberality and freedom of conscience actuated them and that nil forms of religion and religious worship were held by them at a dis count The reason for this is plain In the latter coun tries mentioned the priest and preacher has less power He is not acceted as an authority Their governments are as free from their influences as it is possible for struggling people a thinking people to have them Education has been encouraged and it lies destroyed Christianity in their minds Tn America today the better class of Europeans who have immigrated to our shores constitute the bulwark of the liberalsentiment By a little sober reflection Mr Sharpo will be able to see that ho is wrong in his premises consequently wrong in his conclusions GET READY FOR THE CONVENTION Among some of the letters received by the Blade upon the coming convention at St Louis since the promulgation of the official call are some suggesting that moro time be given than is named therein for tho full and satisfactory consideration of the business that is to be transacted The Blade entertains a perfect realization of tho vast importance that attaches to this movement and would make no ob jection even if it had the right or power to a convention of several days duration provided it be necessary to tho successful consummation of our hearts great desire and tho certain launching of the now organization along eminently uccessfullinesThe from Dr Wilson and from Mr Charles Botscher are particularly strong on this point By referring to the call however it will be observed that pro visions have been made for a caucus on the Saturday night preceding the convention whereat a great deal of the pre liminary routine can be disposed of At this caucus a temporary chairman and secretary can bo named and the necessary committees appointed If all who attend the convention como well prepared knowing just what then want as concerns the fundamentals or groundwork of tho organization these can be readily converted into a present able report and submitted to tho convention at its first session Naturally enough the constitution bylaws decly ration of principles including methods of propaganda will present the greatest problem and both the committee leaving this in charge as well as each individual member of the convention will be called upon for a careful and minute consideration of all the detail Upon the organic law de pends the character of the organization Upon the officers elected to administer the same depends the weal or woe our undertaking With it all however there is nothing in the call to prevent a two or three days convention provided the time be profitably utilized by practcial business considerations and not occupied with speechmaking Above all things else this is to be a pure business gathering and if sufficient time thereafter be allowed wo can indulge1 in u Ilove feast among ourselves as tho members may decide Once tho organization is a fact the time of each member attending is at his or her own disposal for any purpose Let it be organization first afterwards such talkfcixsts as the members present may agree upon Others have written asking that their names ba appended to the official call indicating more than an ordinary inter est in the proceedings As the cll which is printed olu where occupies one full page of tho Blade wo leave not the room to add any additional names thereto and in nis tice to those who have so written the names are givon here Theyare Dr T B Wilson Cincinnati 0 Charles Botscher Canal Dover 0 Dr T B Englehenrt Iuffnlo N Y Harriet M Closz Welster City Iowa Charles F Randall Capron Okla TIny L irhowaltcr Lnbbock Tex Badges have been ordered for the members of the conven tion and friends of the movement attendant thereat These will be distributed the nauiui uo registered by the cre dentials committee The badges are of dart blue ribbon with gilt letters thereon reading National Convention of Freethinkers St Louis November 1415 1909 It is attached to a whiter button in the center of whichappears the word Member Another year and the officialname of the organization can be used Freethinkers will have reason to bo proud of owning and wearing one of these badges if the expectant results of tho convention are fully realized Come to the convention and get one Arrangements have also been made for a fiftycentper plate dinner at tho Hungarian Restaurant This will take place Sunday night Even if tho work of the convention is not concluded by that time wo can indulge in the dinner and finish up tho work Monday morning take all Monday i BLUE GRASS BLADE hl impressiveYon public character bo done can bo given at this dinner and enjoyedAsworkIt is but two weeks now to tho date of the convention Every Frothinker in America should make a strong effort to bo present It is important for all who can to attend Lot existing Frecthought societies of every character or meetingFurnishpresent and take part in the formation of the society Tho principal elements to be discussedare To organize or not to organize The official name of the organization- Its constitution and bylaws Its declaration of principles Its method or system of propaganda Eligibility to membership Election of officers Mode and manner of government Consider well each item and como preparedwith some letIPRIESTLY ASSASSINS In tho year 1909 when Europe makes some boast to being partially civilized at least a Francesca Ferrer Freethinker and Humanitarian is shot to death by a brutal soldiery at the dictation of the priesthood the holy and sanctifiedsuccessors of tho murderous band that sent Bruno to his death It is not enough that honest men and women express a mere indignation at the perpetration of such a crime The English language is painfully deficient in words to fittingly characterize this brutal deed Friends of freedom every where would welcome the immediate downfall ofsuch a pitiless ecclesiastical tyrant no matter the means em ployed Hadsuch a crime been perpetrated in some of tho pagan countries official and monarchial Christendom would have condemned and denounced tho act The stage of this latest drama being set in Christian Spain the elements of both churchand state are significantly silent Professor Ferrer was a man of exceeding great wealth He was a Freethinker and in addition thereto ho was op posed to government by either king or priest Ho spent millions of his money in tho founding and maintenance of schools in Spain for tho education of tho poor offering them an education free and without god or religion in it The Spanish church which is Roman Catholic saw in him a dangerous foe and it conspired constantly for his de struction Many times tho church through its priest sought to secure an indictment agaimt him at the hands of the civil tribunals in tho hope of hounding him to his death but without Jivftil The peoplo saw in Ferrer a friend to their own cause They refused to line up with tin church to tho end that Ferrer might be destroyed and the work of education went on in spito of church priest or creed Years passed by and the poor people of Spain came to know Ferrer more and they learned to love him Spaindeclaredout Revolt after revolt took place in different parts of Spain Bombs were thrown and public buildings destroyed The people with no other means resorted to this form of violence to express their disapproval of another costlywar Many of the troops refused to leave their homes for a foreign shore During all this time Professor Ferrer as it is now shown was in London attending to personal business matters Ho was called back to Spain by a tele gram announcing the serious illness of his two children Ho hastened back and arrived in Barcelona in time for his youngest child to die in his arms By a strange coin cidence the people not knowing or probably not caring where Ferrer was the big riot in Barcelona broke out upon the day of his arrival to see his dying children and the city was placed under martial law for the better preserva tion of order Tho military had now superseded the civil authorities Tho priests of the most holy church saw andrealized their golden opportunity to get rid of Pro fessor Ferrer They complained to tho military that Ferrer had caused the riot with its loss of life and property they furnished tho necessary witnesses caused him to be tried by courtmartial convicted sentenced and shot to death All this was done in so hurried a manner that the people had little time to realize what was taking place Failingwith the civil authorities failing with the judiciaryIthe priesthood fell upon the military and was It is highly probable that no other paper in America has yet given publication of these facts They are ob tained from a letter published in London written in Spain by one who was on the spot and saw and know what took place Tho church is wholly and solely responsible for the deathof this martyr to Libertys cause and upon its head must the punishment fall Friends of the Spanish government were unable to tolerate such a condition of affairs The ministry resigned because of what took placeThe cry of rebellion is now upon every lip King Alfonso a were puppet in stronger hands writes his regrets at the murder of Ferrer and expresses a wish that he could have known of the tragedy in time to have given a full pardon to this last victim of the fury of Romanism Too late Both king and priest must go Not by force of arms not by open conflict but by friends of Ferrer taking up tho work where his death intervened and continuing it until the sentiment of liberty has been instilled into every human heart by educative processes This is tho safest tho surest and tho best way to terminate a system that is intolerable If Alfonso as king of Spain possessed one grain of manhood one spark of personal courage ho would call the peoplo to his side and drive tho church with its infamous priesthood from Spanish soiL 4 I 12 BLUE GRASS BLADE EVOLUTION A COMPLETE ORGANIZER Continued from Page place repeatedly during the various Itaken of the past In the absence of any of the existence of such process we would classify such conjectures along with the myths and fables that found lodg ment in the brains of ignorant men during the infancy of the race One might as well deny the immutability of the laws of Math ematics as the laws of nature Their de nial would make all science a farce and invention a delusion organizationAll scientists acknowledge that the proof is conclusive that the horse has developed from a very small fivetoed animal which has divided into different species viz The horse quagga ass and zebra His hoof has been reorganized and perfectly adapted to his present use this is also the case with his teeth It also shows us that rudimentary organs are just what they appear to beremnants of former or gans This being true we may lay down the principle that Evolution is the great organizer of the Universe The case of the camel and the ruminants also afford us evi dence of the above The fact that some animals may retro grade or even remain practically stationary in no way contradicts the above But that there has been more forward than back ward movement is evident or man would never have been here Exactly parallel with the evidence from rudimentary organs is the evidence derived from embryology and it being true all animal life began with the single cell Geology is a badly broken record of the life of the crust of the earthwe are told Very well provided this sentence be not construed to impeach it as a science We may certainly know this much from other and very different ones that formerly peopled the earth Britannica Cyclo pedia It also shows that there has been a gradual trend of animal plant life from the single cell or close to it to the highest organisms of the present inhabitants of the earth Dr Dawson shows that the Eozoa grew in large masses and in various forms in the Upper part of Lower Laurentian series of rocks This is a single cellanimal Mr Leahy tells us there are missing links in the geological record of the tree of life and he says they are always the transitional forms that are missing He names first the link between the invertebrates and vert ebrates But we have these in several species now living which ought to be suf ficient They have neither bone scales nor sheets and so could hardly be preserved in the geological records If this is not the reason can he tell why they are not found somewhere in the geological records for they are here We also have links be tr tween reptiles and birds in fossils of ani mals now extinct We not only have the bird connected with the reptile but we also have the transitional form between the bird and the mammal in the present living Or nithorynchus of Australia and between Dr Wilson and Others Promise to be at St Louis and Give Aid in the Under taking Another Bunch of Strong Letters Rouser for the Convention CINCINNATI OHIOIam greatly in terested in the New National Organiza tion of American Freethinkers and hope to be at the St Louis Meeting like the prospect since it seems to be starting off without a discordant voice and good feel ings prevail all around This is due largely to the fact that the old elements of contention are passive and not saying anything I have been keeping silent because I think it best at this time that I go away back yonder and sit down and keep mum and let new bloodand spirit be enforced into the start However I want to be tacked on to the tail end of the membership and be come a good hard worker in the ranks I feel that I had my day at organiza tion and certainly had all I wanted How ever I feel that the work I did was worth the while and was not done in vain When I got into the official swim Free thought Organization was not worthy of the name inefficient impracticable illit eral a mere pre tense and sham Nothing less than a war in the ranks could put an end to the bossism and corruptism that prevailed While this meant the death of Freethought Organization for a time the war came and with the assistance ofmnny able Liberals all over the country we went to work and completely demolished the old gang machine That was a big undertak ing for one man and I have always re garded it as the best practical Freethought stunt ofmy career It succeeded in bringing on the calm which has followed and affords to the Liberals of today the opportunity to begin anew free of the old animosities and personal bickerings But I must say from a large experience that I am not as optimistic about Free thought Organization I do not believe that any organization can be practically effective unless the money is raised to establish permanent official headquarters with a working body engaged at this work this and the Mammal we have Marsupials livingformbetween the fish and reptiles and are not without fossil remains of some Lineville Iowa Organization Receives High Endorsements I bosscontrolledcrooked and nothing else and which h able to keep interest aroused allover the country by official field work This cannot be done without sufficient funds are raised to establish a lecturing bureau and putting six to ten men in the field and building up state organiza tions It is a big task and it remains to be seen just what the New Organiza tion will be able to do in this direction This much is in its favorLiberals are at peace with each other and the drift is all in one direction I used to say that religion always swept over the country in waves but no one even heard of a wave of common sense sweeping over the country I am almost ready to take that back for it does seem that a small wave of common sense is striking the average mindAnyhow the church is in evident dis tress and everywhere the clergy is asking what is the matter At last they have come to the realization that they are no longer the shepherds of the world no longer men among sheep but only men among men They are on the toboggan and they realize its speed Now is the time for us to enthuse to weep and rejoice and hasten the grand work along Never was a time so op portune as now No longer do we fear to speak out and make ourselves known Everyone now has at last a sneaking re spect for the Freethinker Note how the name of Paine is gradually getting into the newspapers See him loomin A few weeks ago the leading editorialof a Cincinnati paper in closing an article on a government matter said Tf things keeps going on in this way in this coun try we will soon need another Thomas Paine to write its constitution and direct its liberties The liberal sentiment constantly voiced by newspapers and magazines is doing a big part of our work for us hilt this is no reason why we should be idle Let everyone come to the front now and shako off this lethargy of years and go to work Make it your aim to get together and build up state organizations The national body will probably be able to start two men in the field at once Gradually this number should be greatly increased and 0 lop BLUE GRASS BLADE finally a permanent headquarters estab lished ablo to support its officials contin uously at this work An organization that aims at nothing more than an annual gath ering will bo practically worthless It takes a devoted partiotism untiring en ergy men and women of ability and above all lots of money to effect an efficient work ing organization and every honest heathen must lend a helping hand Let there be an outporin of the spirit at St Louis I have this criticism to make as to plans so far A one day meeting is not long enough to attend to the business and get acquainted I beg that you make it at least two days- I want also to say that Iam glad the old Blade stepped to the front in this matter of organization It means that Old Brother Moores soul is stillon the marchand the good work he set in mo tion still lives I miss him very much I miss many others too who fast are drop ping by the way It saddens me greatly to see the old familiar names drop out Such grand old men as Dr Boll Aaron Davis and others were inspirations to us all They never lagged they never tired It grieves me to see them go I did not dream there are so many poets among the Blade readers I believe it is natural for every one of fine imagina tion to attempt to express himself in verse Whether tho verso be good or not tho poetic instinct is always ennob ling Tho lover of poetry loves all things and even the poorest versifer has stepped out from among men Some of the Blade poetry is very good some not so good I believe that Aaron Do Witt is among the best if not the best of tho Blade poets His verso is smooth and has the substance as well I note also a great many now names as contributors to tho Blade and they are sending in the best of stuff Verily the Freethought cause is plentiful in its re sources John R Clark and tho Chaplain keep furnishing the seasoning and the Blade wouldnt be the Blade without them In a reply to many friends who write asking what has become of me will say that my wife has been an invalid for three years and for the past two years required all my time and care She being very religious and opposed to my views and her trouble being ofa nervous character I have had to be less active in Liberal workconsequently my long silence Tho little spare time I have had has been put in on my Book of Verse I had hoped to havo it out by this time but tho long sickness of my wife has delayed its pub lication By March I think it will be in the hands of tho publisher and when it docs como out if ever a man got a dam min from tho critics I reckon it will bo me If I can only succeed in getting the a Arshbishop to put it on the Index Ex purgatorious and demand that it be kept out of the Public Library itll be sure to sell But enough about myself Hope to meet many of you at Early Mass and St Louis November 14J B WILSON What Organization Should Mean KANAWHA FALLS W YABy Freethinkers is meant all who claim and eercise their right to think and form their own conclusions upon any subject but who grant to every other person the same right they claim for themselves A Freethinker is a Liberal and one is who is tolerant of be liefs different from his own It would seem that it ought to be easy to organize this kind of people but apparently isnt as tho post history of such organizations show There must bo a reason or reasons What are they The very cast of mind that makes a person an original independent thinker makes him dislike the idea of sub scribing to any sort of creed or dogmatic declaration of principles in which he must say I believeespecially where such dec larations are in reference to matters that have not been certainly established or shown to be absolutely untrue Of course it is always possible to get a number of people into a society or organization who believe practically alike on many ques tions There are several such antiortho dox societies in existence now Yet it is doubtful if all menbers of that believe in everyone of the principal tenets All Atheists are not agreed in their disbelief in the existence of a god nor do Materialists believe exactly alike But there is there must be a few things upon which Freethinkers of every shade of un belief can agree and these particular things only need be put into the platform What is wanted is a federation of all people who do not believe that belief is a Savior but who do believe that human reason is the best guide and that good con duct is not only conducive to happiness in this world and our welfare in tho next if there is onel but also that to do as right as we know is a duty which cannot be shirked or evadedwithout cowering us in our own estimation and deteriorating our own moral sense It seems to me that the chief need ofa National or Universal Freethought Society at the present time is to educate the pub lieto create a strong Freethought senti ment and to maintain liberty of thought personal expression and to promote jus tice truth and right Wo want to make Fresthought liberal thinking reason ex ercising popular which it is not now in many communities by a long shot We can only do this by example and precept The purpose of organization is for cooperation and concert of action Also while members are not inspired they command respectJ C WATKINS Will Try To Be There HAGERSTOWN MDMany thanks for your complimentary opinion of my port of the obsequies of our old friend Aaron Davis of Frederick Md and also for publishing it A little later when I get time I may write you out the substance of my eulogy on that occasion Was not at Columbus either as I was entirely too busy at that time to leave home two cars of fertilizer for me to handle having arrived on that date which needed immediate attention- It is possible I might get to St Louis as it comes later in the year when there is more leisure but being so far West takes longer and costs more to make the trip and so Ill probably not get there either but will try to attend some of the conventions ere so long if opportunity permits Am inclosing P 0 Money Order for 327D WEBSTER GROH Make it Broad and Free DELHI N YThere is one way we can express our feelings to those who are mutually friendly to our thoughts when we can take our pen and convey to them our reffections on those things that stand for the best in terest of all in this lifes work But when we come to realize how little we are in this great world among millions of other human beings who for tho most part are content to work out their existence in their simple habits who seem to have no serious thoughts on those things that are out of harmony with reason and natural laws that we sometimes think it is a waste of effort in trying to arouse the sleeping mass es to the true state of affairs Many times in moments of physical weakness and suffering wo have wished we could do or say something that would help clear tho track of obstructions for those who are giving the best of their lives for truth reason and those things that stand for the best interest of the hu man race Many times in our well ments we have wished to be endowed with powers of giving to the world thousands of minds that could comfort with the noble mind of Robert G Ingersoll in place of the pulpits mental slaves of su perstition But when we learn the facts we know there is no one given supernatural powers in this world no matter how good ones intentions may be only endowed in the human form by the process of natural laws with a brain that sees and refrains from vile habits that are against health and the welfare of others with no de sire to accept as truth the selfish hopes and fears of supernatural slaves that are J u lJIo It BLUE GRASS BLADE against the reason orall human knowl in whatever way we might wish and to do to make more true and betterj conditions for all we feel convinced on the other hand that the forces of hypocrisy and superstition will do all in thei power to break up any formidable ment against their system of deceit When for instance we wrote the political conditions throughout the nation how the political coward in and out of office is pandering to established forms of thei mess of pottage caring little or nothing how those forms may effect thd welfare and reason of all and entirely giving up to a system that has been a curse to humanity for centuries past We feel it is time to throw out all minor issues and look well to the characters of those who seek for ofIlcial trust And when we think of the coming National Freethought Con vention with the best wishes for its future success we realize it is the people them selves who can make it so or otherwise Let no minor issues befog the name or principles of a national order whatevei name the convention may decide on make it stand H for national laws against ul forms of the supernatural and reason truth and humanity against rivaled dreams delusions and the socalled holy ghost WAKREN S DEAN Wants More Time CEDAREDGE COLOAll the details of the National Freethought Convention to be held at St Louis are to appear in the next issue of the Blade doubtless all in terested have questions to ask from indi vidual standpoints one of which is the time said Convention will be in session when men revise the word of god they take months of time to perform a job like that a wayfaring man thought a fool need not err therein How much time are we to have at St Louis to revise the treatment of a chronic traditionary and hereditary disease that As yet anchored to barbarian antiquity diagnose it prepare palateablo formulas after due deliberations etc can all this be done in five days in a wise shapely iand beneficial manner that will assure a cooperative success Do the broad minded friends of human ity who are forcing the rampart to establish an epoch of logical truths comprehend the danger of damaging results from any omission or mistake that might occur at St Louis for want of time to properly deliberate on all questions of conceivable importance tending to promote the coop erative harmony essential to desired sue cess Iifan ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure and it is better to do noth ing than worse than nothing docs not Jl prudence justify time and caution because often the longest way around is the shortest way through Those who go to St Louis to hear IC vival speeches had better stay at home with the sick who need a physician Will it not require qne day to organize and point committees one day for committee to report one day to amend and adopt reports thus by holding night sessions three days might be enough to transact the business at least in a reasonably satisfactory manner GEORGE LEESON From a New Soldier SCHLESWIG IOWAHaving just ceived a copy of the Blade for October 3d Grand Devoted to the freedom 01 thought I herewith enclose money order for a yearly subscription Be sure and start me out with October 10th as this number will announce all about the Free thinkers meeting to be held on November 14th at St Louis Unless something foreseen happens I expect to attend this meeting The reply by Ella Kantz Stow More points for Judge Ladds consideration is grand and in fact all the Blad contains food for the brain Hoping yoi will put my name on the subscription list at an early date sincerely yours SARAI VERMEHREN Comments and Criticisms HOLLAND OTwo copies of the Blade has reached me one today In part it suits me but I cant go it nil You have hit the nail on the head in regard to Mrs Eddy I have taken a year or more to investigate Christian Science am surely it is one of the biggest humbug on earth Her book and papers gotten out by the Christian scientists is a money making humbug Her book that ought to sell for a dollar sells for 318 and is grab money Every church and society has to pay big for their adds but the fools buy it some 30000 a year I corresponded with and talked with many and it is all money money money Her Palace church in Boston that cost up in the lions came from the homo work of lies dupes Still I know of wonderful cUtes made by tho mind by her patrons Yet I believe in doing my own thinking overt my age of near seventyfive years I lave prepared my own funeral sermon as I do not want any ministers to Ho over lilY lead body and I refuse to have flower md a fine coffin simply to please the eyes if those who come to see the lust of S Clark I would rather the flowers be shoved under my nose while Iam alive Lhe golden rule of the bible is to me worth more than all the rest of it Yes it has contradictions too numerous to mention GAL FOUR BLADE Look in Deuteronomy and see what it says n about the eating of meat Viz Ye shall not eat meat of anything that dieth of itself but ye shall give it unto tho stranger that comes into thy gate or selleth it to an ought to have been compelled to cat of a carrion for doing so mean a thing Still the bible has had its day and done some good Surely the mission ary to China is a failure and the gospel teacher of today is a failure It is hard to find a young man or young lady who will join a church They prefer to go to a ball game Here at Holland there is not onefourth as many church members as there were fifty years ago We need more of the golden rule religion- I must criticise you a little on the price of the Blade which ought not to be over twentyor at the most fifty cents a year if we compare its amount of reading with similar papers of its size I dont just like Mrs J J Fyckes ser mon for religion with all its faults and mistakes has done some good T C Jefferies furneral oration is good The Sigel murder article is fine You Mr Editor can do a lot of good but dont be too radical Ease them down graduallyI Mrs C B Haven thinks the Blade is worth 500 and sends that amount for it She may be right and I wrong I see her pen hits hard S W CLARK BOOkS BOOKS THE MASTERPIECE LIBRARY Cheap reprints of the Masterpieces of the Great Modern Authors on the Christian Superstition published for Missionary purposes by the Rationalist Press Association of London England The Riddle of the Universe Haeckel EducationSpencerThe the Idea of God Grant Allen Origin of Species =Darwin Emersons Essays Herbert Spencers Philosophy Creed of Christendom Greg Spencers Essays Ingersolls Lectures and Essays In volumes Palnos Age of Reason The above Is only a selection out of 75 Complete list mailed on application Price 25c each postpaid Six copies to one ad dress at one time 125- NORMAN MURHAY St James St Montreal Canada i4 14 Naumans Orchestra B D NAUMAN Violin ANNA L NAUMAN Piano OTTO S NAUMAN Cornet or Clarinet Other Instruments Added if Desired Over 500 pieces of the best music suitable for any program always on band Phone 128 12 Lock Box 800 SIGOURNEY IOWA A TRIP TO ROME By DR J B WILSON This work is acknowledged to be one of the best descriptive literary efforts of the centuryA Freethinkers view of the old world and what he saw there OlothI25 postpaid BLUE GRASS BLADE Lexington Ky Evolution of the God Idea The Evolution of the God Idea by the late Grant Allen is one of the most remarkable books of the century 63000 copies have been printed and nearly all cir culated by the Rationalist Press Asso ciation of London in cheap form and is now offered for 25 cents postpaid by the American Agent of the R P A NORMAN MURRAY 246 St James St Montreal Canada BILLS fWENUE makes you cheerful and thoughtful It is a personal department In the WHEEL OF LIFE that grows on you You find yourself waiting with Interest for what Jllll has to say next fN flMBRIOflN- MrtDONNfVlsnsorrllnnlllu tll Ih llbyMaryfiction since Grant Allen nnd Inn beautiful presentation of the essentially modern problem of the Woman In Business THB WHBBL OF LIFE A monthly periodical It deals with ORIGINS the origin of Marriage of Ethics of Religion of Brotherhood of the belief In Immortality It treats broadly of Love of Human Instincts and IdoaU It takes In suhJectsIndust Is shaken outand they become as In teresting as a novel to oven the casual render Bend lOcontsforn six months trial subscription or u quarter for n year OONFESSIONS O F fl DRONE by Joseph Modlll Patterson author of LITTLE BROTHER OKTJIK 1101111 sent without extr charge with a months trial subscription to the WHEEL OJ LIFt Address rIFE PUB CO Desk A St Louis Mo I r BLUE GRASS BLADE 67eiSearchlightA Monthly t t Published by J D SHAW Waco Texas t Price of Subscription 1 a Year I Single Copies 10 Centsr1 Write for a sample copy which will be sent free THE AMERICAN JOURNAL O- FEUGENICS Formerly Known as Lucifer the Light Bearer The Pioneer Journalin Modern Times of an old and almost forgotten science the most important of all sciences a science successfully and openly taught and practiced by the ancient Greeks and Egyp tians but ignored defeated scorned by all modern nations vizthe Science of Right Horning the Science of Good Generation The Century Dictionary thus defines Eugenics The doctrine of Progress or Evolution especially in the human race through improved conditions in the rela tions of the sexes Its central thought is freedom of Moth erhood the SelfOwnership of Woman in the Realm of Sex and Reproductionin telligent and responsible Parenthood This much neglected this tabooed dis graced and almost unknown science was named Eugenics by Francis Galton a cousin of and cqworker with the great Charles Darwin and now both in England and in Continental Europe is beginning to receive the attention its importance Journal of Eugenics is now in its 30th year of publication sustained by a long list of able and well known contributors women and men of nationaland international reputation it is now published bimonthly standard mag azine sizeat Los Angeles Calif price 1n year postpaid single copy 15c Trial subscribers will receive three back numbers less than a year old also a copy of the booklet Institutional Marriage n lecture by the editor all for 25c in stamps or coin For sale by newsdealers or sent postpaid by the editor and pub lisher Moses Hannan with lists and prices of standard English and American Eugenic publications Address 1319 NO lam Ave Los Angeles Calif I L T h 1 Mans Origin and estinYri4 Jtl1By Dr A Hausman Alameda California This is the Greatest Book of modern tinus on the theory of Evolution applied to Sociology 1Uwill shortly be issued in bookform by the Blue Gras Blade making a book of nearly 500 pages The author has dedicated it to Prof Ernst Haeckel and tl u great Jena philosopher has accepted the dedication 5200 200 Subscribe Now and Save Money All charges of postage will be prepaid upon advance subscriptions IThofirst chapters are now in the press and publication in book form will immediately follow its serial publication in the blade columns ascribe Now Subscribe Now JAMES E HUGHES Lexington Ky l 1909 19O9 Blue Grass Blade Bound volume Containing Fiftytwo Copies of The Blade and all handsomely bound in Blue Buckram with gold letters 300 Reduced from last years price 3OO Subscribe NOW and get your name on the list in time 4 A STILL BETTER OFFER For Five New Subscribers For Five New Subscribers We will send ONE COPY of the Bound Volume J FREE OF COSTITo any person sending us five new subscribers in one club at the regular rates before Dec 31 1909 THE CLUB IS PREFERABLE GET UP ONE SECURE A COPY FREE BLUE GRASS BLADE Lexington Ky t r h

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