The record-union., 1894-03-09
ILL-ADvIsED POLICY.

In view of the nervous attempt now on
foot to stir up angry political feelings on
religious lines that may result in vio-
lence between sects, the remarks of Pro-
fessor Swing of Chicago are. wise and
timely. He warns these excitable peo-
pie that this is not a day of guns but OF
toleration; that there is neither fear nor
cause for fear that men are going out to
butcher each other in the name of Jesus
Christ:
In these days religious opinions do not
mean guns. Once they did, but that was long
ago; and in those times, when opinions meant
guns and swords, they had that import
among the Protestants. The shadow of the
sword fell on all churches alike. AS no church
could escape the dominant ideas of the
earlier time, SO no church can escape the hap
pier philosophy of the present period. Guns
Tor one means guns for all. those societies
that are arming themselves must be
composed of ProtestantS and Catholics of the
humblest mental equipment. 1t is null time
for the higher and calmer classes to speak out
in favor OF peace.
The charge is not made that the motives
of those who are agitating are impure or
born of the thought of the sword, but
there is misdirection. Civil institutions
bred of tolerance are only to be main
tanned by tolerance. When prescription
takes its place civil and religious liberty
must depart.
The effort of any church or class to
dominate and appropriate the civil insti-
tutions of the country will meet with
that opposition springing from the great
national heart that is irresistible, and
that will preserve the balances on an
even beam, but it will not be done by ap-
peals to passion, the Inflammation of fear,
or the resort to devices calculated to rem
der intolerance dominant
We agree with Professor Swing that
what we need to be delivered from is the
insanity of fanaticism and all influences
that tend to encourage that insanity. We
should applaud all open, honorable and
patriotic movements to preserve intact
our liberties and to prevent the misuse OF
any American institution. But the in
fammatory method is not of this order;
prescription will not tend to such an end;
and the cultivation of needless fear Of a
dominant church in State will not tend to
promote peace.
We hold that the widest possible separ-
alton between Church and State should
be made and maintained; that there
ought to be prohibition of appropriation
of any funds or property of the State for
the aid, support or use Of any matter or
institution, directly or indirectly con-
trolled by or related to any church or
sect. Such constitutional provision now
obtains in twenty-one of the States of the
Union, and it ought to be incorporated
into the Federal compact of our liberties,
as President Grant advised in a special
message to Congress nearly twenty years
ago.
lofty and patriotic as it is, cannot and
does not excuse the disturbances that are
now being famed into sort of vigor,
and that must result in injury to the
cause of free institutions. 1t is misdirec-
ton of nervous anxiety that is provoking
the troubles reported to have been stirred
up in several sections of the country.
The truth is that the churches have far
more to fear from disbelief and the
growth of liberalism than the State has
to fear from the church. 1t never can
come again that any church can domi-
nate the people of any free State, because
the whole drift of civilization is to wards
division, variety and divergence along all
lines OF thought relating to moral condi-
tions and obligations, and they never
again can be gathered together and in
unity made single hand TO smite at any
bidding.
IfAmerican liberties are to be pre-
served it must be upon the basis of grant
ing to our fellows all we claim for our
selves. We cannot be just and prescribe;
we cannot maintain free institutions and
exclude from the right to participate in
their administration equally and on q
common level all men to whom the por-
tails of citizenship are open.
Ifany church or priest or monk sets