The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-25
OUR AMERICAN y
INSTITUTIONS.
Rev. DR.. Kings Address at Minis
ters' Meeting.
A Strong Condemnation OF Latin Civi iza-
tioa-T The National League.

Rev. ]. NJ. King ID. d.. of New York, general
seer etary OF the National League for the Pro-
lection of American Institutions, del vered an
able address this morning at the ministers
meeting in tho Chestnut Street NJ. e. church,
his subject being American Institutions and
Their Protection" Ho said our government,
being constitutional one, tho basis of IL Is the
concensus OF opinion OF the people. ! thank
God that Latin civilization did not become
the basis OF our civilization. God favored the
establishment of our great nation In not
allowing this TO occur The Latin ciivi zation
has cursed the world, has brought about the
inquistion. The disgrace of the earth today
Is the power that Latin civilization has over
down-trodden Cuba. African slavery was
brought about by Latin civilization. Chaun-
cey Depew uttered a golden sentence when he
said: THE cross of Calvary meant hope; the
cross on San. Salvador meant opportunity"
We can bc thankful that the Latin civiliza-
tion did not determine the trend of ours. The
sources of our civilization have been these
The Huguerot with his industry; the Hol-
lander with his republic ON a Scripturai
basis: the Puritan with his sense Of right and
his backbone; the Methodist with his broad
Christianity. These have united TO form our
American institutions
The separate distinctive American institu.
tions are seven:
!. Civil liberty, absolute equality OF rights
and civil rights protected l,y law.
y. Individual sovereignty based on the rec
ognition OF manhood as sovereign where every
man Is a sovereign.
3. Religious liberty, free church and n
free stnte, absolute separation OF church and
state Religious tolerance differs from roljg-
ious liberty. II lera,ion is pill eye granite ,.
Hoo h
liberty exists as an unalienable right.
4. Freedom OF the press, the Indispensable
condition To civil and religious liberty.
). Access to the best thought OF all ages In
public Libraries and cheap publications.
o. American free school system. This has
proved 10 be the only thing capable of unit
ing every element with good citizenship As
the flag floats over our national capital when
Congress sits rs a token that the nation s
business Is being done, so 1t should over our
schools as token that citizens are being
made.
Z. Higher education and it's university out
growth with the advantages ii offers 20 all
classes.
These institutions can be found in no other
nation under heaven.
DIR. King spoke at some length on the great
work the National League was doing under
the direction of the ablest constitutional
lawyers in this country. The two objects IL
seeks To accomplish are the constitutional pro-
lection of the public school fund and to pre-
vent all sectarian ana demon national appro-
priations of public funds. Since 1889 IL has
c,used amendments along this line IN the con-
stitutions of fourteen different states, includ-
ing New York. The sixteenth amendme nt
TO the United States Constitution which IL
has formulated has passed the inspection and
received the approval ~ over ono thousand of
our most eminent constitutional lawyers. 1t
il a. follows:
Neither Congress nor any state shall pass
any law respecting an establishment of relig-
ion. or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,
or the property or credit OF the United
States, or OF any state, or any money raised
IN bp
| for the purpose Of founding, maintaining or
| aiding, by appropriation, payment or services.
expenses or otherwise. any church, religious
| denomination or religious society, any In
| stitution, society or undertaking which il
| wholly or in part. under sectarian or
ecclesia stica control"