Daily camera., 1897-12-20


should be conditioned upon the open
avowal of this belief. 1t is not the right
of any state, of any court. of any school
board, to require from any American
citizen, or from the child of an American
citizen, a recognition of God. Every
citizen of Boulder, whether he be Chris
tian, Jew, inhdel or pagan, is entitled to
the privileges granted by our system of
free public schools, and he is entitled to
these privileges without any declaration
on his part as to his belief or disbelief in
any deity. Civil government and the
system of education provided by civil
government should not, L or can they of
right, deal with, the religious beliefs,
views or prsjudices of the individual
members of the commonwealth. In do
ing so they usurp the prerogatives of
deity, and do that which Christ or His
spirit never attempts. Faith in Christ
and sincere alteration of the Supreme
Being must spring from love and net
tear, from voition of the will and not
force. And while Seventh Day Advent
sss hold for the principles represented
by the stars and stripes the highest rev.
erence, end for the American flag as
these principles the deepest
regard. while they hold in the highest
esteem those who fought and bled and
died that to US might fall the heritage of
freedoms blessings, they still feel that it
is not the province of ou. public schools
to require from the pupils pledge of
their heads and hearts to the mainten-
ance of that flag. This is contrary to the
spirit of freedom which the flag repre-
sents.
Seventh Day Adventists are uniformly
law-abiding citizens. They believe in
the support of the government oy taxa
ton, and by every laudable means con-
sistent with Christian life; but in princi
pie they are noncombatants. They be-
lieve that it Is better to suffer wrong than
to do wrong, better to leave to God the
avenging of every just cause than to
take vengeance into their own hands.
The Christians of Europe. of Asia, of
Africa, are as much the children of God
and members of the household of faith
as are the christians of America. With
their understanding of the requirements
of the gospel of CHRIST, the members of
the church could not enter conscientious.
ly upon any warfare, either public or
private, In an individual or natiosal
sense, to main, kill or destroy their fel
lows. Hence the objection of the Seventh
Day Adventlsts to the flag salute should
not be construed as antagonism to the
flag OF to the government the flag repre-
sents. ..t ....... .,.-. ...,.,- ....
The church wishes to say in concl fusion
that for the larger portion of the agitation
and controversy over this question In
Boulder the church or its officers are IN
no way responsible. Aside from the
publication of one article in the Camera,
of this city, by the elder of the church,
neither the church nor its officers have
authorized, nor been parties to, the pub
lication, in any paper whatsoever, of {,
single word on this question. And the
church does not wish to be held respon
sible for the undignifed representation
Of this question by others, nor as being
governed by personal animcsity or feel
ing, nor as desiring to excite public
sympathy in behalf of its cause. Prin-
ciples are above men, and above per-
sonalitles, and it is for principle only
that the Seventh Day Adventist church
OF Boulder would contend. And the
church trusts that this expression Of its
conscientious convictions on this ques
ton, and not the representation of others.
may be taken as voic'ng its true senti-
ments.
The above paper was adopted as ex-
pressing the sentiments of the Seventh
Day Adventist church of Boulder at
their regular morning service, Saturday,
December IS Of the two hundred pres
ent, there were but three opposing votes.
FRANCIS NJ WILCOX, Elder.
MRc GFORGE pEASE Clerk