Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-06-16
CHURCH AND STATE.
The Cunning Coupling of the Church
and the School.

italism are gaining absolute control OF
the State. In other lands and III former
times, the church maintained its ascen-
dency in the name of religion; in our
country and to-day it seeks to control
the State III the name of morality, The
priests in all ages represent that paternal
tyranny whose central idea is that the
people must be ruled. They know not
what is the proper thing to believe, and
the clergy must teach them-that is re-
ligion; they know not how to believe,
and the clergy must teach them-that is
morality, But these priests have never
been able, by virtue of the beauty or
reasOnableness or usefulness of their
teachings, to persuade any people to
their acceptance: hence they always
form alliances with the State to enforce
compliance with their notions. These
preachers have One-seventh of the time
of the people, besides controlling di-
rectly or indirectly all their educational
institutions and literature, and yet
merely rs preachers they have very little
influence over the conduct or faith of
the people.
Were it not fG" the fact that capital
ism needs the repressve and deXterous
despOtism of the church, the clergy
might 20 begging, and the sacred affairs
of Iesu would be us desolate as the
sacred affairs of Yupiter With the pos
sble exception of Scotland the clergy of
oil hoUn cir wit Ia
wealth, conservatism and tyranny. They
dominated every State in Europe till
| they were forcibly hurled from power,
aud, as IA general thing, compelled to
rank second instead Of first in civil al
fairs. In our own country they We're
excluded by the Constitution, but in the
century that has elapsed since that time
they have made themselves felt in a
thousand ways, till now they are not
only audaclous, but clamorous.
Last Sunday was big day for priest
craft in Chicago. At present the saloon
is the scape-goat that bears the sins of
civilization. AS in former days the easy
explanation of everything that existed or
happened was to say God made it, God
did it, so now every evil thing we find
III society is explained by pointing to
the saloon. Chicago is in bad way
very bad, and the preachers gathered in
force on the day in question, and shook
out rotuud ecclesiastical thunder. Cap
italism and the capltalistic press nobly
seconded the pries,ly aspirants for
power and the priests shaped their florld
fulminatlOns SO as to make them seem
an echo of a popular demand.
No saloon within two hundred feet
of church or school house." For years
; it has been the practice of the clericals
to speak of church and school house in
one breath-and in this they have shown
! splendid diplomacy. The American
people have become accustomed 70 this
, dual presentation, and he would be Il
very poor stump speaker who didn't
seek to make a point by saying some
thing about church and school house
Chicago preachers made a ten-strike
when they got the Council to talk about
the church and school house standing on
! an equal footing. The school is a State
institution jealousy guarded by the
. people-the one institution that is hon
ored, revered and loved, without dis
tinction of party. Now, to get "A church,
the mere brick and mortar, the same
+ recognition on some popular issue as is
given the school house, is a big triumph
= for the clergy, and another long step to-
ward Church-and-stateism.
Several steps have already been taken.
t All sorts Of chaplaincies, from the chap
s lain that prays for Congress at $40 a
pray, to the chap that prays before po-
htical convention in expectancy; the ex-
> emption OF church property from taxa
g ton; the exemption Of clergymen from
: various civic duties. These are steps al,
@ ready taken, but they are short one,
conn AIRED with the majestic spring fol
: which the Chicago clergy are now in
: training. If the church is so like a
d school house and SO unlike photo
4 graph gallery that it must have the SAINT
, kind of legislation as a school house AM
- a different kind from a photograph gal
J lery, it not only stands ON IA different
!, legal footing from the gallery, but ON the
0 same footing as a SChOO-hUuse. Indeed
= it does that already -nether church MOI
school house pay taxes the gallery does
The photographer is not allowed to worl
|. on Sunday that is the particular day
II on which the preacher earns his salary
e The gallery must be closed on Sunday
- the church runs wide open. Yet theoret
iCally there Is no church, and-stateism il
. this country, and the Constitution know,
q no distinction between a cathedral and {
|. butcher shop, or between preacher anC
w a cab driver
=. Under the pressure of the united how
. from the capitalistic press, kid gloved re
e spectability and the preachers, the coun
o ell may make the concession demanded
# Then look out,
h The saloon answers the same purpos,
- in the programme of the preachers tina
IL the bloody shirt did the MONS uuio,, s.,,.