The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-07
NO BONDS on THUGHT.
Here Is Some Advanced Think
ing' That Takes the Cake.
STRANGE THINGS THLT Ire HEARD

free thought, free love and the condi
tiOns Of the present day, social and pol
iticaL
The free thinkers Of Kansas are in
session here. They are not u large body
but what they lack in mum bers they GER
tainly balance well with earnestness, IN
tellectuAl thunder, thought and elo-
qu0nc0 Meetings are held each fore
noon at 10 o'clock, each afternoon at 2:30
and each evening at 1880. They are
nearly AL speakers who are not afraid 10
speak Moses Harmon editor Of Lucifer,
the freethought paper that is printed on
East Fourth street, IN this city presides,
and the chairman is Miss Marie Greene,
3 bright young woman who lives IN
Topeka.
Delegates to the number Of about fifty
arc expected. but they have not yet all
arrived Among the prominent promo
ters Of the cause present are Mrs. Lois
Waisbrooker, editress Of Progressive
Thought, which Is also Topeka publ
cation, Prof. w. 5 Bell Of Chicago, BIZ.
and Mrs. Alonzo Wardall, Ms L. a
Maybee, g. @. Clemens, James H- Lath-
rop, James Pontius, BIrs. ". Il. Semple,
state secretary Of the association, Of OF
tawa, and John Radford.
The printed programme is not being
strictly adhered to on account of the alb
sence of 50 many, and several Of the
speeches dated for the first part viii be
delayed till the end Of the programme.
Yesterday afternoon there were forty
three present. Short speeches were
made BY Prof Bell. 8Ir Scoring, Lois
W ais brOOker and .drs. Maybee
A paper that was to have been read in
the morning entitled Dangerous
Classes" by A. Warren, Of Oklahoma
City, was read on motion. by the chair
man. 1t was IN substance as follows:
Two Of my neighbors belong TO and
represent the two dangerous classes that
we are told are beginning TO infest this
country. Neighbor Smith believes that
the insignificant globule on which we
live is the central and most important
body of matter in existence. He has no
idea Of the immensely of space. His
education has been mainly derived from
an ancient book which he insists contains
all the Information we sinful mOrtals
have any for. In this book
emily bodies are said to have been
brought into existence about six thou
sand years ago by being Of Infinite
power merely for the purpose of mani
Testing his own glory. .Ian was also
formed out OF the dust of the earth Ia
the image Of this great being who pre-
viOus to this WOndrOu5 work had been
roaming about in the darkness for count
| less ages. At first this almighty man
was delighted with his invention. and
made great pets Of the little duplicates
of himself which he had made, planting
a garden for them. One tree, which by
an awkward biunder he had left grow
\ ing in the center Of the garden. he com
mHnded Them not to eat of. OF course
/ these children. not vet one week old
disobeyed and ate of the fruit. Instead
( of killing them, as he had threatened to
do, he drove them out of the garden and
took the whole matter under advisement.
l Later, after due reflection for about four
thousand years. during which time the
/ human family had continued dlsOOedlent
and dsorderly, he concluded to let them
kill him and in that way bring about a
/ reconciliation.
This, Smith insists, is genuine history
and he and his gang propose TO compel
every body to pronulgate it as such at
least one day IN the week. This / con
slider to be dangerous to- the liberties of
the people.
-ssNeighbor Jones belongs to a different
! class The Jewish myths he discards
and claims to be reas0nabl man. sci
entific and liberal 'One world at time
is his motto aud he knows nothing about
auy unseen world Religion is to him a
superstition. He boasts that he is a law
abiding citizen, without stopping to ques-
ton the nature of the laws or the in =
! 1uences that procured their enactment.
/ The revised statutes are his Bible.
Property is his God The man who
[ would as matter of principle
( render an equivalent for what he
receives, Jones would consider lunatic.
fabric Of Jones' society, and society must
be protected no matter how many mere
individuals die of starvation.
s'Ihe fact is. our present civilization is
the direct offspring of barbarism and is
I based on the same principles: Robbery.
I But the worst has not been told Legal
tender money and the forcibIe collection
of debts have impoverished more people
than all the tricks Of trade comb ined
4 loud applause from. Mr.. Lathrop)
There is another barbaric device for
/ squeezing wealth out OF the unfortunate.
Ii our despoiled brother could lind a
place in which to hide he could force the
/ earth to yield him a living, but the earth
itself is the property of a privileged
! class.
AThere is another ancient system Jones
adopts without reason It is the making
| property OF human beings. Jones mag
ines that he owns the mother Of his chill
/ dren. He treats her much as he does his
other property. except that she is not for
| sale nor to loan out at interest Better
were it for her if shs could be sold than
to be Jones slave Life such as il is she
has. but liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness ars to her no more than myths.
She has aIienatsd these rights through
| the mummery Of a magistrate Jones
| does not believe IN priests, RENE n Der.
But Ia either case he owns the woman.
She owns not even the wages she may
earn by taking in washing, and her life
is dedicated to the single purpose OF
| gratifying Jones
strange az ii may seem to Jones this
meek, submissive being is not happy.
She feels that she has little com pensa-
/ ton for her devotion If he would smile
/ on her and pet her and sympathize with
her she could endure anything. But lie
does not; and there is no escape, no re-
i