Contesting Tradition and Combating Intolerance a History of Free Thought in Kansas

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for Fall 2000 Contesting Tradition And Combating Intolerance A History Of Free thought In Kansas Aaron K. Ketchell University of Kansas, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons Ketchell, Aaron K., "Contesting Tradition And Combating Intolerance A History Of Free thought In Kansas" (2000). Great Plains Quarterly. 2129. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/2129 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. CONTESTING TRADITION AND COMBATING INTOLERANCE A HISTORY OF FREETHOUGHT IN KANSAS AARON K. KETCHELL Diversity is the hallmark of freethought in Although the attitudes of freethinkers toward Kansas, for freethinkers were never a homoge religion are the primary concern of this essay, neous body. The movement was not only reli it must be remembered that freethinkers had gious, or for that matter, antireligious, different ideas about what the movement although the majority of social and political meant and that opposition to organized reli issues that it addressed had religious ground gion was only one, but a crucial element of the ing. No one specific organized group domi freethought agenda. nated historical Kansas freethinking. Instead, In order to understand the history of individuals in the form of editors of various freethought in Kansas one must first define newspapers, journals, and book series became the movement and its ideology. Although the landmarks by which the course of the freethought is most often used to label belief movement's history may be most easily traced. free from the dogmatic assumptions of reli gion, it also encompasses a wide range of other ethical and social issues. Samuel Porter Putnam, the foremost authority on nineteenth century American freethought, has written, :'When, therefore, I use the word Freethought, I use it in the most comprehensive sense, as an intellectual, moral, industrial, political and social power."! The beliefs of the movement grew out of a rejection of traditional religion, Aaron K. Ketchell holds an M.A. in Religious Studies and is currently a doctoral candidate in the American but freethinkers also embraced women's rights, Studies program at the University of Kansas. political radicalism, scientific discovery, and controversial prose and poetry. The terms "atheism" and "agnosticism" are both commonly associated with freethought. [GPQ 20 (Fall 2000): 281-95] To a religious believer the difference between 281 282 GREAT PLAINS QUARTERLY, FALL 2000 these two terms may be slim, but many free superstition, rational thought; and in place of thinkers adamantly defended their respective the supernatural, the natural."5 camps. As Gordon Stein has put it, an atheist The roots of the American freethought is "one who does not have a belief in God, or movement can be traced to eighteenth-century who is without a belief in God."2 The absence deism. Deists, Warren reports, regarded the of a deity is based upon an atheist's perception deity "not as an anthropomorphic Being, di that all proof for the existence of God fails the recting and judging the activities of mankind, test of logic. As will be seen later, scientific but as the creator of the Universe."6 While support for all doctrines is an essential ele Deism did not reject the existence of God, it ment of freethought. did strongly support the separation of church Agnosticism is more difficult to define. A and state, thus reducing the stature of religion dictionary explanation describes it as "the in society. Thomas Jefferson, George Wash doctrine that neither the existence nor the ington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and nature of God, nor the ultimate origin of Thomas Paine head the list of acknowledged the universe is known or knowable."3 This deists in the late eighteenth century. The peak definition, though popularly accepted, differs of the deist movement came in 1 794 with from the original meaning of the word coined Paine's publication of The Age of Reason, in by Thomas Huxley in 1869, which demanded which the author promoted reason over rev scientific proof and reason as a justification elation, drawing primarily from Newtonian for the existence of a higher being.4 lt is diffi science. Deism waned, however, not long cult to draw a clear demarcation between ag thereafter, proving to be "too conservative for nosticism and atheism, and this essay will not the dogmatic atheist" and "too radical for the be preoccupied with defining the various uncompromising Christian."7 camps within the larger freethought move The Golden Age of Freethought, as it has ment, even though many freethinkers consid been called, extended for about half a century ered such distinctions important. For the from 1865; it was the time during which radi moment it will suffice to note that Robert cal antireligion staged its most dramatic as Ingersoll, probably the nation's most promi cent. The life of Robert Ingersoll is in many nent freethinker, always considered himself ways synonymous with the growth of the an agnostic, while Emmanuel Haldeman freethought movement. Born in 1833, Ingersoll Julius, the eminent Kansas publisher, labeled became a prominent attorney and served in himself an atheist. the Civil War as a colonel. After the war he Freethinkers, for all their diversity, found turned to the promotion of his ideas, largely common ground in their belief that the truths through speaking tours, and in his forty-three and aims of science ranked far above those of years of antireligious evangelizing spoke in religion. Freethought always involved the almost every town of any size in every state in promotion of rationality and science. Indeed, the Union.s His rhetoric was one of self-reli scientific method was deemed the only ac ance and faith in science: "Man must learn to ceptable way to determine truth. The intelli rely upon himself. Reading bibles will not pro gibility of the universe was affirmed by, but tect him from the blasts of winter, but houses, not attributed to, transcendent design. This fires and clothing will. To prevent famine, one faith in science had the effect of making sepa plow is worth a million sermons, and even ration of church and state a primary goal in patent medicines will cure more diseases than the freethought movement, for, as historian all the prayers uttered since the beginning of of freethought Sidney Warren has written, the world."9 "To a world dominated by religious sentiment, Long after his death in 1899, Ingersoll's they would offer one in which the spirit of words were remembered by the thousands of scientific inquiry would prevail; instead of people who heard his lectures. In addition to A HISTORY OF FREETHOUGHT IN KANSAS 283 influencing an entire nation through his dis Party called for recognition of governmental course, he also was instrumental in the orga power as derived from God. 13 It was in this nizing of freethinkers into a developed body. atmosphere of the growing union of God and Out of the Free Religious Association, founded politics that the Kansas freethinkers formed by Unitarian ministers to promote "pure" reli their first state organization. gion and encourage the scientific study of the From 5 to 10 September 1879, the National ology, grew the National Liberal League. Liberal League held a camp meeting at Bis During the first four days of July 1876, the marck Grove, a popular meeting place along league held its first convention in Philadel the Kansas Pacific Railroad tracks just east of phia, working toward its avowed goal of the North Lawrence that was well equipped for promotion of secularism in America and op large gatherings. 14 At this convocation, chaired posing church influence in public life. lo Indi by former governor Robinson, thirteen promi viduals in many states took notice of the nent freethinkers from eight different states national organization and sought to form lib delivered twenty-two speeches, all anti-Chris eralleagues of their own. Kansas joined their tian. The speeches strongly supported estab ranks on 9 September 1879. lished National Liberal League precepts, Freethought was not new in Kansas; several including taxation of church property, the prominent persons in the early history of the elimination of the use of public money for state also were freethinkers. The first gover religious functionaries employed by the gov nor of the state, Charles Robinson, was a ve ernment, prohibiting use of the Bible in pub hement opponent of religious influence on lic schools, and the repeal of all Sabbath government. Annie Diggs, who held a high observance laws. 15 position in the Free Religious Association and The critique of the evils of Christianity was who later became the most prominent female relentless over the six days of the camp meet Populist, was a resident of Lawrence in the ing. Professor William Denton, a geologist 1870s and played an influential role in the from Massachusetts, stated on the third day, formation of the Kansas Liberal League. II Frank "My intention is to destroy Christianity. Chil Doster, elected to the Kansas state legislature dren are trained in the greatest absurdities in 1872 as a Republican, identified with many instead of teaching them the truth." G. W. tenets of freethought and was instrumental in Walser, of Lamar, Missouri, told the meeting, its beginnings as a distinct movement in the "I don't believe in the inspiration of the book state.12 called the Bible.

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