Lucifer, the Light-Bearer from Valley Falls, Kansas • 1

ngiM'infc i'liii'ili tlMi'lfc I 5 A sr- i ft The Kansas Libebajl0 TotaZ Separation of the State from Supematuralism. Perfect Equality before the Law for aU Men and Women. No Privileged Classes or Orders. No Monopolies. Diversity of Opinion Unity of Purpose.

Vol. II. VALLEY FALLS, KANSAS, OCTOBER 18, 1882. No. 24.

or the undeveloped Christian or ti ri a ii a The Kansas Liberal. J. B- S. mentions several in stances or cases in which the "State prohibits." This question of prohibition opens up a wide field. The above letter furnishes a text npon which volumes might be written.

For the present we have time and space only to say that in most of the instances given above, society would probably be better without the intervention of "prohibition by the State. In general terms, we say that we take the Declaration of Independence for our bill of rights." From it we learn that we are endowed by nature with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." This right is limited only by the equal right of our neighbor. In order to determine how far any one may enjoy his natural right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness," municipal legislation or agreement is necessary. That when men live together in com THE ONLY HOPE. Political honesty is the only hope of the nation.

The people of this republic must break away from the political leaders who have betrayed them by reveling in profligacy and corruption, or the days of the republic, founded by Washington, will speedily be numbered, and the star of hope that arose so brightly on the morn of its birth, will set in a night of despotism. American Sentry. Receipts for the Liberal. Damon Higbe, 1 John Anderson, SI Mary A Livingston, SI John H. Harrison, 50c A W.

Tinkham, 60c John Belz, 75c; J. M. Bower, 50c O. C. Hager, SI Mrs.

A. G. Newton, 25c J. H. Allen, 25o; S.

M. Holder, 75c; B. W. Cook, SI N. H.

Harman, SI John Ernest, $5 S. B. Shepherd, S2; A Krekel, SI J. Poehler, 50c H. L.

Stein, 50c; A Lang, 50c; R. F. Wetzel, 50c R. H. Nesch, 50c; F.

A Behrens, 50c; A. Foote, 25c A J. Utley, 25c. CIRCULAR. To the Freethinkers of the United States and of Canada I propose to publish immediately a pamphlet containing the Articles of Association of the New York State Freethinkers Association, including its creed and platform, viz The demands of Liberalism, the resolutions passed at the late Watkins' Convention, with the names of the officers of the association and an alphabetical list of the members with the full post-office address of each.

This association, in many respects, is national in its character. Its articles of association confine its membership to no section of country, and at each convention! the Freethinkers of all the states and of Canada are invited to participate. And I wish to have every person in the United States and of who desires to be known as a Freethinker (who has not alreaey done so), to at once unite with this association, so that his or her name and post-office address may appear in the pamphlet. All that is necessary to become a member, is to send your name and twenty-five cents to me. The price of the pamphlet and postage will be thirty cents.

Those who are members are requested to immediately forward to me their names written in full with their full post-office address. These addresses should be written very plainly, so that no error shall appear when published. Now, Liberal friends, whether you are known as Materialists, Spiritualists, Free Religionists, or Agnostics, at once send in your names, that we may have a full and perfect list of the Freethinkers of the United States and of Canada. H. L.

Green, Cor, Sec. of the N. Y. S. F.

A. Salamanca, N. Y. I iu.ouueiaxi, mat 11 seems ime art abuse of language to call it by tho same term religion Yet the-sentiment so far as it binds man to-a power outside of himself is, or should be as strong in the rational ist as in tne cnnstian. But the religious emotion of the rationalist elevates instead of degrades him placing him as one of nature's great factors in gradually developing himself and his followmen, by changing his surroundings and so improving his environment as to lead up to a higher plane of life.

He feels a perfect reliance on nature's laws, an all-absorbing sense of their beauty, sublimity and wonderful efficiency. Such a "religion" or sense of a "binding connection" with the laws of nature, of their controlling power SS-n-SN 1 1 jci mo uxy iiLuLiuii, puyBicany, socially, and mentally, is as necessary to the rationalist, is as essential to his well-being, as a sense of some divine power, is to the control of the savage and the undeveloped Christian. Liberty to do as he likes, without such consciousness of an outside power, often leads the impulsive to terrible excesses in self-indulgence and licentiousness. The rationalist feels and knowa that he cannot get out of the reach of the laws of nature which will always control him in his bodyr mind and social atmosphere-. His very thoughts are originated by his-education, rn.fi nrt nrtii vironment.

Yet this "binding force" or control by nature's laws is felt to be a supreme pleasure instead of an abject slavery. By obeying these -laws, he is brought into harmony with all nature, and and complete-confidence is felt for the future as well as the present. Indeed as the laws of nature become known and the benefit of obedience to them is' continually experienced, it becomes easier to live in harmony with them than otherwise, and posterity will inherit this tendency to moral obedience, thereby becoming their "second nature." There is often felt a sentiment of "too much freedom," "too much license" by the new convert to liberalism. He thinks he can do as he likes, and almost yells in his exuberant joy on finding himself free from the "wilderness of superstition." But he needs yet to learn" that nature's laws "oind him fast" still-He is bound by social, physiological and mental laws which if disregarded, inevitably bring punishment oftentimes resulting in death. Hen-ay be free from his feilowmen's-control but never can be free from" these laws of his being.

His 'intentions and aspirations" may appear to him all sufficient for his guidance, but a better knowledge of mental laws (that bind him fast) will show him that such intentions and aspirations are' seldom trustworthy. xxo -u-j xiavu Bome noDie impulses to free his brother from surjeratitinn. yet he must first learn the laws of mental growth, or his efforts may ue worst man useless. It may be very pleasant to believa in the presence of departed spirits, Dut unless we know the laws of mental illusion, we shall be verv apt to be deceived. So the laws of ooauy ana mental health, must be known and obeyed, no matter how free from superstition we may be.

Liberty and freedom of thought let us have by all means, but we must never forget this "religion" or "binding fast by the laws of nature." J. E. Suttos: Mtnnxapolis, 1882. TERMS One copy, one year One copy, six months .75 One copy, three months 40 In clnbs of five and under ten, per annum 1.25, la dabs often or more, per annum 1.00. SPECIMENS TREE.

11 letters for the Ltbb- should be addressed to the editor M. Harm an, Valley Falls, Kan. No communication inserted unless accompanied by the real name of the author. Each writer is alone responsible for the opinions advanced or statements made by him. Lawrence, Aug.

24, 1882. JZditor JCansas Liberal You open' the polls with "to prohibit or not to prohibit and call for votes. Very well, here goes for prohibit Should one of natures freemen conclude to run around loose dressed only in the cool garb of fancy, the State will prohibit." Whenever a free born American citizen undertakes to sell stale meat, the stato will prohibit," notwithstanding the purchasers right to eat stale meat, and hence his right to purchase a supply. When, in the exercise of their natural rights, men carry concealed weapons the State "prohibits." Should it ever happen, and it might, that some man and woman, not married, yet live together as man and wife, they will find that the State Dealers in obscene literature, regardles of its being "only a moral meet at every turn with the State's "prohibition." Should a man conclude to marry a great many wives, the State will "prohibit." Should he desire to marry his sister the State will And now when a man engages in the whisky business, the State prohibits that also. It is stated in your election proclamation that this whisky business is a question of morals and not of law.

Just so are all the above cited offenses and yet the State prohibits" without hearing a single protest. It is also stated that a man may enjoy all his natural rights provided he does no injury to his neighbor. Very well then a may be guilty of all the above offenses, which are prohibited and not do a tenth part the harm to his neighbor that can safely be charged up to each saloon keeper. Then why should we prohibit this troup of minor offences and blink our dazed eyes in the presence of the very king evil of them all Liberalism criticises church circles for their exclusive devotion to tho old, because it is old and their distrust of the new because it is new. When it comes to the matter under consideration, however, it looks upon this list of old prohibitions and says amen, but it is very much afraid there is something wrong with the new.

The whisky business has no more right to shield itself from the condemnation of the law than all these other nuisances under the guise of being- a moral question." As to harming our neighbor, it is much the most harmful of them all, and therefore should be prohibited." Thats my vote. J. B. S. '1 it I.

i I1'! munities towns, cities, some means must be adopted whereby a limit or boundary may be established between the rights of Mr. A and those of Mr. B. These lines or limits in a democracy are com monly fixed by the rule of the majority. In other words it is de cided by ballot.

But a municipality may rightfully make and enforce laws or regulations that the State has no right to do. The State, though made up of municipalities is not itself a municipality. The laws of the State are general laws, and should in no case trench upon natural rights but the municipality or town is in some sense a family in some sense it possesses sovereign power over the natural rights of its individual members. Instance every man has a natural right to have a slaughter pen upon his own premises. If he lives a mile or so from his nearest neighbor no one could object to his exercising this right but in a closely settled community, in a town or city it would be quite different.

There his slaughter pen would rightly be voted a public nuisance, and would be abated as such by municipal law. Likewise, every man has a natural right to manufacture and offer for sale cider wine, beer or whiskey; but the municipality, in its corporate capacity, has the right to decide whether it is for the general good of its members that the individual be allowed to exercise this right within its corporate limits. With this imperfect statement of what we conceive to be a few of the basic principles that underlie this whole question of prohibitory legislation we defer the further consideration of the points presented by J. B. S.

until our next issue. The minutes of the Camp Meeting at Bismarck Grove have not yet been received rrom the Religion from the Standpoint of Evolutionism and Rationalism. It has been a question with many Liberals whether religion will become obsolete and morality take its place. The belief in a personal God gradually giving way to agnosticism, religion seems to have no object when a superintending deity is no longer acknowledged. A clear conception of what is meant by the term "religion" is very essential in deciding the question.

It has been defined to mean the sentiment that "binds us fast" to some outside power, (the word being derived from religare to bind fast). In this sense religion may be regarded as one of the everlast ing principles of human nature as powerful in its influence on the well developed mind as on the untutored savage, "binding it fast" to a power outside of itself. It binds the savage to the spirits of his departed friends, or to his Gods. He worships and prays to them as to the great controlling power of good and evil. It binds the Catholic, the protestant and Mahometan, and they worship their God as the source of all things.

From the lowest fetichism up through the ascending grades of religious development, through the different phases of Christianity, from the Catholic to the Unitarian, all believe themselves "bound fast" to that Supreme Power which they think controls the universe. Even the rationalist and freethinker, whether they believe it or not, are "bound fast" to a power outside of themselves. The laws of nature "bind them fast'" most effectually, and all their liberty and freedom of thought only mean that they are free from the control of other men, free from the power of the church and priestcraft. The rationalist and free thinker have liberty to obey the laws of nature, or suffer the consequences. Their worship, if it may be so called, partakes of the nature of James Martineau's who says "worship is an attitude our nature assumes, not for a purpose, but from an emotion.

The religious emotion of the rationalist however is so different from that of the primitive savage, The 'Infidel's Creed. 1. Happiness is the only good. 2. The way to be happy is to make others happy.

Other things being equal, that man is happiest who is nearest just who is truthful, merciful and intelligent in other words, the one who lives in accordance with the conditions of life. 3. The time to be happy is now, and the place to be happpy is here. 4. Reason is the lamp of the mind the only torch of progress and instead of blowing that out and depending on darkness and dogma, it is far better to increase that sacred light.

5. Every man should be the intellectual proprietor of himself honest with himself, and intellectually hospitable and upon every brain reason should be enthroned a king. 9. That every man must bear the consequences, at least of his own actions; that if he put his hands in the fire, his hands must smart, and not the hands of another. In other words, that each man must eat the fruits of the tree he plants.

M. Ingersoll. The man who is temperate or abstinent from compulsion is not a true temperance man. Only he who is temperate from principle deserves that appellation. :7.

5.