The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-02-10
The ReIIrious Amendment.

Prom the Providence journal.
Believing rs we firmly do that the fear
ofGod Is the foundation Of social welfare
not less than the beginning of wisdom
we should always hold ourselves ready
to second most heartily any movement
that would result in the subsection Of pO'
litiCal action to the sway Of genuine relig
ious principle. But We are wholly una.
bic TO see how the proposed amendment
recognizing tho existence Of God would
have the least tendency TO secure this dc.
sirable result II n nation could be made
Christian simply by inserting n clause III
It's constitution, the problem Of human
progress would he good deal simplilied
Yet We fancy that such m enactment
would have about the same effect as N
law fixing the value Of paper money. Do
my Of the respectable gentlemen, who
have been scduccd into lending ,leiI
COuntCnanCC To this most prcpOstcrOus
scheme, suppose Tor one moment that The
real sway OF religious principle would be
in the slightest degree affected by such Il
step? Would the nation become, in real
ity, any more Christian nation?
Aside from the obvious inutility OF
such II procedure, there are nsuyerahlr
objections springing from the iundamCn.
tal principles on which our political msli
tulions rest. Whether the religious, or
the social, theory Of the State be the true
theory, il M interesting question, hut n
question which for us il no longer open
Our system rests throughout on the com.
plctc severance Of religious md political
institutions. The federal constitution il
an instrument designed to secure certain
specific ends, and these ends arc political
and not religious. Any change in thisrc.
spcCt would he change affecting the
foundations ON which the whole structure
rests, and, il logically carried out, would
result in Il total transformation Ol our
pOlity. For we hold that there il no ten.
able middle ground between such entire
separation 0i religious and secular ends as
now exists, and h close alliance Of Church
and State. Certainly no one can doubt
that il the advancement Of religion Ia
any part Of the function Of the State he
effected, il must be the most binding and
most important part. This was the prin.
ciplc on which Philip the Second acted,
and, admitting the principle, we must ad.
nit that his action was logical and right.
Nothing, however, can be more i'll.
grounded than the notion that Il govern.
mcnt is necessarily irrcligious that does
not formally recognize in its constitution
its dependence upon God. The Constitu-
ton does not make the nation, and it is
not designed to emhody the national
character. 1t has iar more limited
scope But trader may be honest and
dCvOut though he does not insCribc the
Ten Commandments in his ledger, and
does not esteem it his duty To circulate
the publications Of the Tract Society with
his packages of pepper and cheese. a
cotton dealer may conduct his business
in strict accordance with the principles
OF the New Testament, though he does
not suspend placards on the walls of his
counting.rO0m, inviting his customers to
stand up for Jesus" So n nation may
be Christian though its constitution does
not certify the fact.