San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-01-25

Col. Ingersoll The portraits OF Noltaire'
Humboldt, jefferson, and Gen. Washington
hang Mt intervals about the side walls OF tho
room and several notices wrought IN dlt'
ferent Styles are displayed in frames, while
select sentences from the fathers OF inhdeh'
Nv are carelessly traced on the plastering 80
as TO appear as il the letters were orig'naiiy
accidentally delineated there 10y CROWN OF
INTERVIEWING twiglets of moss spontaneous
ly springing from the wall, as 'froBress'
ion" 'Wolcoms here" and "lhe woriu ~
my country, and to do good Is my Religion
The house Is furnished with an organ, anu
is seated with chairs SO that they may %
placed aside when occasions require uS
when balls and festivals are being heia,
both of which amusements are irequenuy
indulged in by the liberals. There are some
two hundred volumes in the library, con-
ssting in the main part in the prouuc'ion%
of Voltaire, Paine Bennett, Ingersoll; and
Darwin. some works on spiritualism, social
ism. animal magnetism, phrenology, some
histories biographical writings, the works
of some of the poets, and some writings
AGAINST papacy. This hall is used for great
variety of purposes and consequently IN
omen nearly every day and night IN tha
week. The orthodox minister is permitted
to preach his gospel sermons there, Prov,
ded he will suffer his sermon commenteu
upon by some freethinking gentleman:
There is secret organization at lhoera'
called the ''Sacrsd Brotherhood" By inc
liberals il is regarded as thing OF very
GREAT importance, and the right OF member
shin is extended to none but those OF known
and indu6ita66 fidelity to liberalism. Males
and females are admissible on equal terms,
and the women are keeping the secret. 10
sneak still further of woman in Liberal, sne
does not suffer her stronger half to work IN
the advance but keeps quite along with
him. daring to lift her voice in public on al
most nil occasions. Infdelity, as 1t exists
at Liberal, may, with propriety, be spoken
of as q sort of religion, the professors OF
which have their established forms OF wor'
shin. which consist in eating, drinking, dam
cling, and enjoying life generally, while we
possess it, because they say we may not
enioy another when this one over. Inc ND
eral argues that the world would be III lar
better state if the money expended 10 sus-
tain the church and her ministers, ana ene
time devoted by which last to exhorling
men and women to prepare Tor heaven were
appropriated to relieve the suDe'9a3 ana ei,
evate the condition of MN in the greSens
state of existence. The lntidels at Lperai
appear to cherish an inextinguishabie ha'reu
for the clergy, speaking Of them as "irlhAp
parasites" as q herd OF mendicahts'
Something remains 10 be sald IL tIe wsy
in which the Sabbath is observed at Liberal.
With them Sunday is thought of ms a aay 1ol
recreation. as day of cessation from toll
because of an hygienic necessity with no
resnect to any commandment. There is
(what is there termed) IN instruction
school" designed for the benefit OF both INC
aped nnd the young, which keeps regularly
every Sunday morning, and to which as reg
ulariy the majority of the liberals repair iof
I mental refreghment. This school ls con
Quoted in moral and very pecullaf htyle'
and indeed bears moro likeness to dobM-
ing club than achool essentially it as ae
batting society, discussing quite varieCy
subjects each Sunday. The members u
each group, (class) select a topic ior tie /"
cason, and in strict accordance WIN 'r' =
motto 'Uniyersal Mental Liberty, ca
man or woman in. turn, speaks whas
mind dictates. This mode Of procedure ~
productive of many humorous eccen'ig'
! ties: on one occasion when something Nab
being said about truth one gentleman q
eued that there was 10 such thing as arse,
luta truth. that truth is only what the nllh"
c01lceioes it to be, and that there are us may
truths rs there are different ways OF Inn
inq. Generally the subjects for discuss'o"
are of social or scientific character Be
eral consecutive Sunday mornings durlpt
last summer were spent in trying 10 llna 81
| hLti0l,s for "what is lifeI' and what
magnetismT Womaps rights IS frequently
discussed there The Sabbath morning be
ing thus spent in intercnangine IDEAS there
| is always programme made out Tor the OK
erci5es TO be IN the evening. which are use-
ally of an eXhilaratng character, generally
consisting in recitations by the ladles' inter
spersed with Embellishments aud vo-
cal, violin solos, banjo solos, m TACT any
thiny that is calculated to contributo any
tbin9 TO the enjoyment of those present,
! Generally these Sunday evening affairs ere
concluded by set lecture Without regard
TO sex the majority at Liberal are lecturers.
| II bas gone abroad in some directions that
| Liberal is n community OF free loyerE."
/ This is not 50 to any great extent, because
there not above half a dozen individuals at
Liberal who make any effort 70 spread the
doctrines OF free love" and practically
there are mono there who are free loversP
I There are q considerable number Of Spirit
ualists in Liberal. and they are all co-work-
i e~s with their ftil more liberal brothers
and sisters, getting on har-noniously t7ecth-
er
The most Objectionable thiug connected
with affairs at Liberal Is the unintorInitting
quarrel tha. ,xifts between and is equally
] persisted in by both Liberals Gnd orthodox.
I Ia the early part % last snn4mer tie ortlo-
! dox ooutrived 10 erect a church house WITH
| in the tosu ii-8itl The L1cEiis, viewing
/ this m the light a En invasion, as some
thing imposed upcH them tiiat .es 70 eNei'
I : l,,nefui infusucs over their children. op
r.os.i ia a .;renuo-s and most uneomTr0-
iaieirr vav every -Jneasare a5oyiod - the
ortioior 20 flce,ate the completion q
I their church hous. II corscqlClce e s-'eh
a state O. Affairs both ptrtiss beca-na
rcoxrf--r-r * rrez~u ptce.f a