Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-02-10
a 0D .s.VD THE CO.VsTgTUTIO.v,

About two weeks ago, Senator Yates pre-
scented. in the United States Senate, pc
ttion from certain citizens of Illinois for
an amendment OF the Constitution of the
United States by which the name of God
should be introduced, and formal recog-
milton be made of the divine supremacy.
And last week, a convention of persons,
NOV ing for the same end met in Philadel-
phia, organized, deliberated, passed a Sc
ries OF resolutions and adjourned. Reports
Of their doings were published in the dali
ly papers, and have gone out over the
country. A correspondent of one of the
morning papers of this city, speaking of
the proceedings of the closing day (the
l9th,) says:
THE exciting event was the advocacy by
Professor McIlvaine of the University of
Pennsylvania of the following amendment
to the preamble Of the Constitution:
We, the people Of the United States ac-
knowledging Almighty God as the ulti-
mate source of all authority and power in
civil government, and the moral laws OF
the Christian religion as of paramount au-
thority, in order to secure a more perfect
Union, etc.
Inns substitute was Nehehlehtly opposed
ny almost all the speakers, as Ealing To
recognize inc authority Oh the Loro jesus
Christ and was rejected by a vote almost
unanimous. The keynote of the meeting,
"s thusslrucN ny one Oh inc SPEAKERS WIS
AS at present, rejecting the authority Of
"'" III our 'ons'''u'ioi' we are nation
OF Atheists; if we adopt the resolution of
~ -hcl'N" "'' we "eco"lc l'e's'S Il we
""i'' y! '"e icP''' Su"i'It'e"' we Su'i'u
'''''' 'ne ""iIu "S 2" 'hrls'i"l ha'ioh'
We are MOI 'i'oSethcr sure tnal Nerpal
acknowledgment oil inc diNlho supreme
'S Is cSNc"''a' /" INC CONSTITUTION Oh an en-
I'Sh''i'e" go erhhieh' iike ours or th"t inc
want Oh S"cIl "l NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. expos
Is U.s. W. TINS H'i'Uc'P"'" coiNo"'l"h HAS
H. /" me guIl Oh lori'ial hauohal alhe-
ism. The Constitution is the platform on
which the Government stands, as civil,
not as religious, organization. As such,
1t should embrace the fundamental princi-
p'ea on which our political structure is
based, and by which, as such, 1t is carried
forward; and it should embrace only these.
Whatever does not pertain thereto howev-
or good, or true, or desirable in itself, or
appropriate elsewhere, is inappropriate and
out OF place here. II omitted, its omission
does not necessarily expose those who live
under the constitution to the charge of
immortality, atheism, intidelity or irrelig-
ion.
Nor can we, by any means, assent to
what is called in the foregoing extract "the
keynote" of the Philadelphia meeting. 1t
declares that at present, we 'reject the au-
thorty Of God in our Constitution" This
is not true. There Is not in that instrument
word about rejecting Gods authority
there is not even an all to such a
it is simply silent. But does this make us
II nation of atheists? Not at all. If it did,
then every state paper in which the men,
ton of God did not appear, would prove
us to be nation of atheists. And, on the
same principle, ihasmuch as the nation Is
composed OF individuals, the writing OF 9
mere business letter, the carrying out OF a
conversation with irlend, nay, the mere
writing and publishing OF an advertise
ment, newspaper article, or an essay OF
some sciehtlhc or poiitlcal SUBJECT wlthou
an allusioh 10 Goa anu MS PIoNiueiiIia i
CARE "oulu ''"ho eNoiS man VIM u'u '''i
an u'neiS''
ine 'u." 49, We nv i"''o'
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