The San Francisco call., 1897-01-28
Henry E. HightOn Lectures
in Metropolitan
Temple.
Describes the Growth of Reli.
gious liberation in
America.
No Consolidation of Church and State
Is Possible Under the Con-
Stitution.

In Metropolitan Temple last night Hon.
Henry E. Highton delivered an instruct
i've lecture entitled 1.-THE True Basis OF
American Citizenship" under the aus
pices of Golden Gate Council No. "a, I.
MI.
The lecture was preceded by short pro-
gramme. to which the Sacred Heart
Orchestra: under the direction of PROT
Karl Shernstein, and George w. Colvert
a humorous elocutionist, agreeably con-
tributed.
The president of the evening, Samuel
Haskins. spoke briefly in anticipation Of
INIr. Highton's subject. He claimed for
the Catholic church an attitude of respect
toward the civil authority of the State,
though as a church it is not identified
with any one form of government. "To
u.s." said he, 1.-The stars and stripes is the
symbol of our political and religious
liberty. We shall see that it flies high
and that it flies forever" Mr.. Highton
continued:
The centuries Of persecu ton in the name of
religion have ended, and those prosecutions
themselves have been grossly misconceived.
They have been attributed by atheists, by
skeptcs, by agnostics, by scientists, to religion
itself, whereas they arose, wherever they ex-
listed, from the incessant struggle OF bar
barism, through undeveloped humanity,
against the teachings OF religion. Religious
wars, so-oalIed, class and individual contro-
versles originated IN these struggles But the
entire world has outgrown the barbarism of
force, Fanaticism, bigotry, intolerance, in
their political application represent the vices
and not the virtues of man. They were
the very elements which it was the province
and the function OF religion finally to extir-
pate.
When the Government of the United States
was formed in theory at least fratrlcidal con-
tests in the name of religion, upon this CONT
nent and wherever our institutions prevailed,
were over. They are now tally ended
in fact. The American people having under
gone the thFoes OF birth and the vicissitudes
of childhood and adolescence are now studying
origin. their framework and their progress
amidst all setbacks and temporary failures,
with reference TO the present evils with which
they have to contend and the future to which
they aspire.
Mr.. Highton spoke of the duty of every
citizen to Withstand every disintegrating
influence and TO hold the Government and
its administration where the fathers
placed 1t. He anticipated his conclusion
when he described the true basis of Ameri-
can citizenship as a moral basls-the
recognition of the sovereignty of per-
senal God and the brotherhood of man,
both defined and expressed in the moral
law.
The lecturer proceeded to illustrate his
argument by the facts of history, dividing
1492-1607; ~ from 1607-1787; and (3) from
1787.1897. He outlined clearly and sue
cipctly the process of colonization in the
various States of the subsequent Union,
and quoted the terms of their charters,
showing that both the discovery and
colonization of America were undertaken
in the spirit of religion.
The Spanish alone, and they were a
Catholic people, established nine distinct
Governments in North and South
America, while Canada from 1876, when
Cartier first settled there, till 1853, when
theEnglish took possession. was French
province, and when the transfer was made
the Catholics were secure in the free ex-
ercise of their religion. He dwelt at some
length upon the position occupied by Vir-
ginla in the early seventeenth century,
when Sir William Burke saw tit to thank
God for the absence of free schools ana
printers.
The charter of Massachusetts, provided
a certain measure of religious liberation,
while in New Hampshire the principle of
representation was recognized as early as
November, 1929. Rhode Island provides
charter indicating the beginnings OF free
dom. and independence in the modern
sense of the term. In the Catholic colony
of Maryland religious liberty was estab-
lished as the fundamental law, and in
New York liberty of conscience was
granted 10 settlers. New Jersey, Pennsyl-
wanna, NOFL0 anu COuln SdIOt1na were
likewise specified.
The constitution Of the two last named
was framed by the great John Locke and
provided that no man was to be a free
man who did not acknowledge the exist
ence OF God and the fact that he ought to
be publicly worshiped.
Mr.. Highton referred to the noble work
accom- plished by Catholic missionaries
and explorers, and added that to all these
early settlers-to the Puritan, the Cava-
lier, the Catholic, the Trinitarian to those
of the lost diverse and conflicting opin-
ions, was the one great central recogni-
ton of the personal God and moral force
as the basis of his sovereignty and pa
ternity among mankind.
He devoted attention to the provisions
of the American constitution respecting
religious liberty, emphasizing the TACT
that in these the State is createo>distinct
and separate from the church and that
there can be no possibility of their con-
solidation so long as these provisions are
ad dhered TO.
His closing periods dealt with the de-
parture OF facts from theory and of the
corruption which American political prac-
tice has developed. Mr.. Hlghton also
contended that the genius OF our constitu-
tion should properly exclude and does
exclude the pagan and ldolator, such as
the Chlnese are known to be,