The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-08-31
COMMUNICATED.

To The EDITOR OF THE PILOT:
I have been somewhat surprised to
notice the comments attached to COM
| munlcation in the issue OF your paper OF
August 18th and as the points therein
adhered to, are of Importance to any COM
munity, suppose you will have no OBJ
lection to have the correctness of these
statements more closely investigated.
The arguments therein advanced seem
hardly to be in harmony with the pro-
gressive spirit The Pilot has SO far un-
hessitatingly upheld.
You say "a church has perfect right
to adhere to its regulations and those
who do not choose to observe them are
under no complusion to attend; il the
members of the Post did not choose to
comply with the rules of the church to
which they sought admission they were
very properly excluded"
With other words, as far as this con-
troversy is concerned, no man is allowed
TO enter the house of God or to worship
his creator before he has passed the re-
view OF the pastor of the church and is
found worthy, even in his exterior ap-
pearance to occupy place therein.
To determine what the rights of the
church are and how far they do not in
terfere with the rights Of the state or its
constituents has been the object of dis
cussion by the ablest and most prominent
men of former centuries and the living
generation and very likely will be an
open question as long as humanity exists
It would hardly do, even for the editor
of The Pilot to abruptly say "the church
has right to determine it's own rules
and regulations" and thereby ignore
principles, that have been sanctifed by
the best authorities history produces
l would not even compare as the editor
does, the organization OF the church with
other organizations formed by men, as in
my opinion it has a higher calling and
will survive anything created by human
thoughts. The great question OF State
and church rights has been partially con-
sidered settled lat least as far as our coun-
try is concerned, and I can righteously
say, that there is no country iu the world
where the church enjoys greater liberties
than in the United States.
In spite OF former principlesto the effect,
that governments were created as godly
institutions, or according to later views,
that Power was the condition, that justi-
fed government to exist, as represented
in the reign of Louis the 14th when he
remarked THE State am I" we in this
country have up to the present time up.
held the almost universally acknowledged
principle. that governments exist for the
purpose of protecting the individual
rights of their members. 1t is further
universally admitted that the State has
the supervision over the actions of in
didduals as well as corporations within
its boundary and all have to observe the
laws of the land and the rules OF justice
and common sense, If they do not they
are subject to criticism and no man in
any position in life, in State or church,
can claim exemption.
For the purpose of educating the peo-
pie the State has organized and literally
supported two institutions, the church
and the school, especially charged with
the moral and mental development of it's
members and no other institution exists
that exercises such far reaching influence
upon the prosperity of a nation. These
therefore are carefully watched, and
every citizen has right to notice arbi-
trary actions on their part.
The incorporated church, las We find it in
the different parts of our country is the
child of the State and is as such respon-
sible for SITS action to the authority of the
State or the people represented IN this
authority. When christian association |
applies for charter, this permit is given
under the assumption, that the house |
where they meet, is destined not only as
as place of meeting for few selected |
ones, but temple of homage, into its in |
terror every person is entitled to enter, |
may be belong to any church or no church |
whatever, for the church has only one |
object in view and that is the welfare OF |
the human society.