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TALENT NEWS. The TALENT NEWS is published the 1st. and 15th. of each month. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Entered at the Talent Post Office as second WHAT WAS HIS CREED?
His charity was like the snow— KATIE REPLIES TO W. B. A. AND W. W. _________, Oregon, Dec. 10 '93,
To W. B.
A.,Dear
Sir:
I like your letter. It
has about the right ring. According to your description of yourself you
must be good looking. Glad you love to work and don't use tobacco,
whiskey nor play cards. You say you have a horse that is worth his
weight in gold. Worth 1000 pounds or over of solid gold!!Beats a gold mine. It nearly takes my breath away to think about it. But let me pray you to sell him right quick. He may be stolen or get the distemper and die, and oh, what a loss! Sell him if you can't get more than even half his weight in gold. You will be rich. Indeed your initials may mean something -- W. B. A., Wm. B. Astor. See? Sell that horse and put the money in the bank. Then write me at once and tis likely I'll look no further. I'll be in terrible suspense till I hear from you. Yours Hopingly
Katie Didd.
_________, Oregon Dec, 11 '93.
To W. W.,Dear
Sir:
Yours beats all the letters
I
ever saw. It can't be that you ever went to school much. But its
interesting after all -- and good "hoss sence" too. Ideally, what
one learns at school doesn't count much in these hard times anyway.
You're right about poetry. I never knew a verse writer that amounted to
much. But aint you a short fellow! Why, you must be
Esquimau. Well, that's nothing against you for I like short
folks. Being short comes awful handy on a farm. Take
it all in all I like your letter first rate. But I'm awful
particular and won't make up my mind right now. I must hear from one or
two others first. You may write again and send your photograph. Very Respectfully,
Katie Didd.
[side 2] ANOTHER DECIPLE OF DR. BRIGGS.
Some weeks ago I received a letter from an old classmate and valued friend, the nature of which caused me about as much surprise as would the announcement that Bob. Ingersoll had turned Presbyterian. My correspondent, who by the way, is well known to the Populists of Oregon as an able and versatile writer on all labor questions, and also as a late editor of a leading reform journal, and myself were away back in the sixties, subsisting on Graham mush and boiled potatoes, prepared by our own fair hands. and answering regularly to roll-call at Pacific university, Forest Grove. In those halcyon days my friend was somewhat of a dissenter from orthodox views. In fact we agreed so well on this point that there was little opportunity for discussion between us on religions questions -- a condition of things entirely unsuited to our controversial dispositions. Years sped on and I left my alma mater, an under graduate -- a long way under -- and hied myself to distant lands. My friend, however, continued to inhale the sanctified atmosphere of that Puritan-ish burgh, and I soon discovered by reading between the lines in his long and studied letters the slow and measured turning of his faith -- or rather non-faith. There was now an opportunity for discussion. For a time lengthy argumentative epistles or epistolary arguments passed between us. Knowing me to be an ardent believer in phrenology my correspondent sent me a right-hander in the shape of an opinion advanced by O. S. Fowler to the effect that the phrenological developments or "bumps'' of reverence, veneration etc, indicate a natural religious sentiment -- that there can be no created error, and as these sentiments exist, religion must be true. Ten years after in my wanderings I happened to drop into my friend's editorial sanctum (He was then running a newspaper in a lively town in the Willamette) and found that his faith had steadily developed and seemed now as solid as the rock of ages. But another change has come. The foundations of his faith have been shaken. Being a student, a thinker, a scholar and, withal consciencious and brave, he could not help, when the proper opportunity came, but examine more closely into the evidences upon which his religious belief was founded, He did so. In the letter referred to, the various steps of his remarkable evolution from belief to doubt are outlined in his usual terse and vigorous style. I take the liberty to quote a few paragraphs. For a time "I simply accepted the Bible with many doubts as to its genuineness and some knowledge of its inaccuracies. Its inaccuracies I attributed to the fault of the media of transmission, as well as certain brutal doctrines and practices inculcated. Later I rejected the idea of inspiration except as to the prophecies, and later still least out the prophecies when the ablest Christian leaders in thought have pronounced certain prophetic passages as interpolations. I told my brethren that I believed the Bible was man-made and asked them to dismiss me from the church. They refused to consider the proposition. They said as long as I acted like a Christian I was a Christian. So there the matter stands...... If the churches could be stripped of all the superfluous 'theology,' and run on a working plan of helping the poor, the sick and unfortunate, and teaching the virtues of sobriety, industry, benevolence and brotherly love by practical work, I could bear an active part in them. I have written this to show you 'where I am at,' as the great Democratic party says. That I have lost much I feel keenly, but I have gained much more. It went hard with me to think that my Creator had put me here and left me weak and foolish to contend with all the evils of the earth and with my own weaknesses. That seemed to me to be cruelty impossible with God, because wicked in man. I judge from my own standpoint. Was not that natural --reasonable? But when I looked, deeper and discovered that man advances as all other created things, by his own experience, and when I lost faith in the genuineness of the Bible, I let go. But I let go just as the man swinging by a rope in mid-air -- because I couldn't hold my grip [side 3] any longer. It is a sad lesson -- and a sad world. I use every effort to teach my children and to teach those who do not thank me, but my Creator turns me loose among my enemies and tells me to work out my own salvation. It is abhorrent to me, but I cannot swim back to the rock of the cross. I am at sea to buffet with all windy, to suffer wreck on every shore. Like any child of nature, I have wept about it, inaudibly prayed about it; mutely cursed it all. How am I to unravel my metamorphosis? Which am I? Egg, larva, pupa, imago? What difference which? Am I part or whole? I am, of course. I don't need to question the sphynx for that worn-riddle." The above shows the terrible struggle in which a brave mind is engaged. It is hard to break loose from notions that have "grown into the brain," but thinkers will think, and, like friend ______ they should be ever ready to accept the result of honest thought. ONE DISAPPOINTMENT.
"Did you have a good time on your Western trip?" said one girl. "Lovely," replied the other. "I'm sure you saw everything there was to see." "Yes; I suppose so." "You say that as if you might have missed something." "Well, you see, to tell the truth, our
train didn't get robbed once."
--Washington Star.
AN INSPIRED ERROR.
The printer who made a New York World item read, "The Senate contains some distinguished jawers" may not have meant it, but he came nearer the truth than the editor who intended the last word to read "lawyers." --Wheeling Register.
A blue cross on the margin of the paper indicates that your subscription has expired. A prompt renewal cheereth ye editor muchly. According to the Central Baptist there are a quarter of a million more Catholics than Protestants in New England. James T. Ringold, a prominent jurist of Baltimore, in writing about Puritan'' and their Sunday laws, says: "The distinguishing attribute of the Puritan was moroseness. His pet aversion was gaiety, light-heartedness, play, sport. To be serious, solemn and gloomy was, outwardly at least, to manifest a respect for Puritan ideas, to be Puritan-like if not Puritan. There [Their] first Sunday legislation, therefore, was directed against sports, play, diversions, visiting etc. It was not till they had been tinkering at the subject for about fifty years that it occurred to them to prohibit work as a 'profanation' of the Sabbath. And even then it was not work, in itself, that they objected to. It was only work of one's 'ordinary calling.' Thus a carpenter might engage in blacksmithing, and a farmer build on a house: and persons who had no 'ordinary calling' -- noblemen and tramps -- remained as free on Sunday as on other days." FRANK HASTY, Notary Public,
Agent for the following Insurance Companies:--The North British and Merchantile Insurance Co. of London and Edinburgh, New York Life and the Standard Life and Accident Co. of Detroit.
Subscribe for The News at once.
[side 4] TALENT NEWS.
Talent, Or. December 15th, 1893.
LOCAL ITEMS.
Emmette Beeson has finished and is now living in his new house. Five carloads of hogs were shipped from Talent to San Francisco last week. Robt. Purves has been visiting friends on Applegate for a few days this week. The largest hog that has been weighed at Talent weighed 514 pounds. It was raised by W. J. Dean. There is an enthusiastic revival meeting on Anderson creek. It is conducted by Rev's. Wood and Wilcox. Ben. and Fred Dyer left last Tuesday for a week's prospecting tour in Eastern Oregon. U. G. Hurley, brother of W. H. Hurley of Anderson creek, returned from California last Wednesday evening. A certain gentleman, who, with his family is stopping for the winter about two miles North of Talent, and who was seen to remove a number of large, dry, fir poles from J. W. Abbott's fence a few days ago, to help out his load of wood --and the hard times, is urgently requested to call on the latter at an early date and secure a bill of sale of said poles. We would not be understood as hinting that there was anything felonious about the above proceeding, or that the party alluded to did not clearly comprehend the relation between "mine and thine." Of course not. No doubt it was a clear case of -- well -- absent-mindedness -- or temporary mental alteration superinduced by the financial stringency. Perhaps the party was, at the time, under the mental delusion that the fence belonged to the government, or some bloated gold-bug -- or that it wasn't on the line anyway -- or was high enough without the poles -- or Two weeks ago the question, "Resolved that the American public school is not up to the demands of the age," was up for discussion before the Literary club and brought out a spirited discussion. The affirmative successfully held the fort against some heavy shots from the negative. It is to be regretted that not more of the older members were present to take part in the discussion of so important a question. Report of South Wagner school for the term commencing Sept. 25, 1893 and ending Dec., 1893. Whole number pupils enrolled 29, Average attendance 15. The following pupils have not been absent during the term: Luther Allen, Henry Veit, Laura Phelps, Rollie Phelps, Willie Phelps and Charley Phelps. The following pupils averaged 80 per cent or more in the final examination: Mary Neal, Charley Phelps, Luther Allen, Willie Phelps, Rollie Phelps, Freddie Goddard, Lola Phelps, May Abbott, Maggie Neal, Tommy Abbott, Marion Branom. Nellie Towne, Teacher.
People's party meetings continue to be held every Wednesday evening in the U. M. L. Hall. Swapping views weekly on "political issues" is found to be very amusing and entertaining as well as instructive. The meeting on the 6, inst, was especially entertaining. Indeed it was a Breese-y affair. There was not that unanimity of sentiment one might expect at a meeting of Populists. The question "How shall we increase the income of laborers?" was up for consideration. W. H. Breese led off in a lengthy speech, laying down the proposition that free coinage of silver, government ownership of railroads, postal saving's banks etc, together with a few Utopian, ideal conditions, would fix things all O. K. for the laboring man. J. W. Abbott followed, mildly criticising the arguments of the previous speaker, to the effect that sugar-coated, sweet-by-and-by remedies would hardly answer for our present necessities. They might do very well for our grand children, but something that would benefit us -- and right away -- is what we should be more thankful for. W. J. Dean followed in much the same line, emphasizing the need of greater co-operation among laborers, etc. Other speakers followed, offering various plans, but Mrs. Breese soon got the floor and brothers Abbott and Dean were made the target of a fiery speech such as only a woman Populist can make, for their advocacy of less extravagant customs. Indeed she was amazed to hear ''Americans give expressions to such sentiments." They assured her, however, that they were native born and at least half white, one stating that he was from the green hills of Vermont and had even been suspected of bearing the traditional blue stripe. Those who don't attend the Talent Populist meetings, miss a two-bit show. |