The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-11-19

fhc fsadss fEmes sad Church ana state.
u esnainiy instructive 10 mafk The pro.
afess Of Flee Institutions. At lhs time Of
The adopdon Of the Constitution our own was
The only Chdsian nation tia, discarded The
support Of feliaiou By Law. We did This as
the best means Of promoting, through char.
", lie true spirit among men. Even then,
sevefsI Of the slatss partially supported their
worship " ~ - Of lhe srcuIat power. and
pefsons who eonscisniisusly fefused TO pay
the assessed ,ases fof the support Of the par.
isb minister, were liable 10 have their pro.
?cfty seized for IL. Thus Il was in Massa.
chusst,s for thirty or forty years after the
Declaration OF Independence. There, how
eyef, end throughout the uaited States, the
minister was always tie cholee Of major
i,y of lie PARISH, that IS olltho people who
had 10 pay for il, and heasin consisted the
great distinction bstwecs religion, even
when supported by law, IN America and in
Europe. There, in aImof every case, eth
er lhe Bishop Of The diocese, The Crown, or
some wealthy family iltoush purchase, had
The right Of setting any minister they pleas.
ed over the people and then compelling
them 10 support him, ,ilen enormously.
Not until Of late years, however, has any
serious opposition manifested itself IN Eng.
laod TO the pas mebt Of tithes and Church
rates. II is IN Canada that the battle has
been chisny fasssA Tbefs the propinqnily
Of the United States showed that religion
got along better without any State support
than with such as wss afforded by the Colo.
niaI Government The contrast along the
Canada border has been TOO striking, and
the whole system IS swept away.
The London Times has at last come out
boldly and unoquisocally on the subject of
the separation of Church aud State in the
Colonies OF Great Britain. [, admits as
proved fac, that where religion is thrown
upon Tie people, it will be al leas, as well
suPpoHsd as where the payment is enforced
by law or made out Of the Treasury of the
Stale. In Australia and Canada, The gov
eminent is going 10 give up all attempts a,
the support or preference of any denomiaa
ton. But in Great Britain, the Times says,
"the fact is here we have an Establishment,
and tue intend TO Keep IT,"
But a few years ago the English Quarterly
Review came out in a Illuminating article on
the lack of Church Establishments in the
United Siales, especially severe on the little
State of Rohde Island, declaring that the only
ministers she possessed, were such as were
loo idle TO work, and too ignorant for any
hing else, that the whole people were de-
moralized on account of that entire absence
Of all compulsory support of religion that had
ever marked the history Of that State. Now
il is shown by DR.. Baird's recent work on
"Religion in America that there is more
Than one minister 10 every eight hundred and
fifty inhabitants throughout the United States,
aud that about thousand new churches ev.
cry year are being built on the voluntary
principle. Some of these are of cost fully
proportioned TO the increasing wealth of the
worshippers. In Rhode Island, ard in every
other State ailha-{ {lpinn, the 'neeas Of wos-
ship are belIer Supplied in proportion to the
number of inhabitants than 10 most countries,
if not any country in Europe. We have not,
it is true, the ancient and well endowed Uni
versities of England, but we have large
number receiving liberal education as are
receiving il at this moment in those Iuslitu.
lions.
These lEihgs being go, the only question
is, how long an established religion can hold
ifs ground, even in Englandt Given up in
all her provinces, how can she resist the ar.
gnmenis urged by dissenters at home? Ir
Ireland, for instance, where six men out OF
every eight are Catholics, with what show Of
justice can England continue to exact upon
lha. unfortunate country the compulsory sup
port of The clergy of an alien faith merely
10 provide places for the younger BernacIes ?
In Scotland, two-,hirds Of the people have
come e-.--e4z A-se-.i-- .siahiiahAaari and
joined the fres church, and thug pay double.
How long will i, do for the arisiocratic few
who Gil up the compulsory appointments
with their own younger sons and brothers to
say, Eve will give up Church and State in
The colonies, but here we have go, an es,ab.
ishment, asd we mean TO kept ep la Eng.
land itssIf, ,sihe Church rates are openly re.
sisted IN every way, and in nearly half the
parishes ves,ymen are chosen who will not
make such an assessment. How long. then,
will ii be successfully asserted by the Bsrna-
cles, even there, "we have an establishment,
and We intend 10 keep il r'--Pail'a Ledger.
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tal - saal4 f-s