The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-06-06
10 FOUND 1
COOLIES CHURCH

SS5S-ssH
SsGREATERENlD. Kan. ], June
spread thee glad gs \ OF atiaeism
through ont the civilized world isE the
object 81 the found rs OF the Church,
Of Humanity. who will gin their
first general assembly here tomorrow.
Delegates from various parts of the
country arrived today. and while the
convention will be small In numbers.
every part Of the United States. from
New York to California, Will have
Representation. a permanent o.gani-
cation will he effected, Is and plans
made for propaganda which is ex-
pected eventually to extend through
out the world. ssss & Il II
IS That all deities and devils, Christian
and pagan, are my this. Immortality c
fable and death the end OF conscious
life Is the bastc creed OF the new
church. Neither do the founders pre-.
sent these statements as theories,
but declare that they are proven facts,
capable OF scientific Demonstration.
While there have been national or
CARNATIONS OF freethinkers In this
country, this Is the first attempt to
found a national society. along purely
ntheistic lines, as all previous organ
izations have been composed largely
Of agnstics, deists. pntheists and
spiritualists. Voltaire. Paine and Ing
ersoll. the patron saints OF all former
freethlnking societies. have been dis
cartlel MS false leaders and hopelessly
behind the times through their lack
OF the knowledge now revealed that
"Gotl is a myth like Santa Claus"
w. H. Kerr. n wealthy retired farm
er OF this city. Is the principal spirit
in the Church OF Humanity and for
years has devoted himself almost ex.
clusively to the spread Of his
propaganda through papers and books,
In IN attempt. as he snys. ito rescue
the people from the ldolatry and SUI
perstition of the churches" 70 ac-
complsh this end. he hopes to secure
/ the establishment of schools anil col
leges for the education of lecturers
and teachers. who will spread atheism
throughout the world.
The prophet of the new church and
the revelator OF its doctrines of athe-
ism is SO years OF age. He comes OF
the sturdy stock OF pioneers and is n
sound-minde1 business man. with
(, none OF the freakish manifestations
or, affectations usually possessed BY
the founder Of new relig!ousmore'
ment. Born in Illinois. he settled in
this section of Kansas in 1874 and tool,
a claim. Thrift and Industry rapidly
added to his acres, (which he farmed
with the aid of his six children, ono
boy and five girls. all OF whom &c
cept their fathers religious views.
4 1t was while he was engaged In the
cultivation OF his hundreds of acres
of Kansas prairie that he made tht
discovery" that gods are myths, ans
answered In the negative. the age.oll
question, "if man die. shall he live
again?" In his communions with ma
ture. lnai,led by books, he learned te
attribute all natural phenomena te
natural causes. Convinced TINT NIL re
ligions are vain snperstitions and {
curse ia the peoples of the world. h.
. came to Great Bend in 1902 and be
gan the propaganda work that has
resulted in the call for to.morrow't
organization meeting of the Church o.
Humanity.
GAS soon as the church is formally
. organized and Incorporated by its
charter members" said Mr.. Kerr
lectures and organizers will be pu
in the field, aud branch churches vii
). be incorporated by the national so
: ciety wherever few members en-,
! oy idolaters. will be used in propaga.
Ing the great truths OF the church
We will let truth am. >rror grnpple.
and we know that truth will win. /
given the same financial support tina
error has had for thousands OF years