The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-05
Spirit of the Press.
CHURCH AND gTATE


Washington Post.
Press kilograms from st. Louis, pub
llshed yesterday morning, gave n report
of an astonishing deliverance during Fri
days session of the missionary council
OF the Protestant Episcopal church at
81 Peters, in that city, The dispatch
stated that in the course Of an argument
on a resolution to make a rule requiring
stated contributions to the missionary
fund which was defeated, Rev. w. Me-
Knight, of Elmira, n. Y, commented on
the advantage of the English church over
the American church because of its CON
nection with the government and init
mated that he would like to see the union
of the church and State in this country.
Il think our flag would look better If
it also had a cross on it," he said.
The responsibility for Rev. Mcknight $
opinions is limited to himself. So far as
we are advised, no other member of the
council Endorsed them, and there is no
reason to believe they are widely preVa
lent. In fact we have no doubt that the
constitutional provision that Congress
shall make no law respecting an eStab-
lishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof" is as satisfactory
to the clergy and laity of Rev. Me-
Knights church as it is to other religious
bodies and to the people generally Ihls
provision is contained in The first amend
ment, one of the ten amendments called
the bin of rights and adopted to com
plete the work of the trainers. While 1t
forbids Congress to establish any rell-
gion, it leaves the State free in that re-
spect. The fact THAT no State has awaited
itself of that freedom, while most of the
States have put similar provision III
their own fundamental law, must admon-
ish the Rev. Mcknight that his regret is
not likely to be abated There is no fea-
ture of our plan of government that has
more signally indicated the wisdom of
the fathers than separation of church and
state.
If the Rev Mcknight has been a close
student of the workings Of the English
plan at home, he must have observed
| that it is very unsatisfactory to large
and growing minority of the British peo-
ple. III is believed that church discs
/ adjustment will be one of the principal
! issues in the next parliamentary cleo
| ton There are, in addition to the DIS
| senting churches. a considerable number
of churchmen in the Liberal party who
! will support the demand for disestab-
lishment and also favor such re-
| construction of the House of Lords as
will do away with representatives of the
! church in that body.
! 1t would be anything but pleasant eX-
/ hibtion. and we have no idea that It
would promote religion or any other de-
| sirable object, if ritualistic contention
were carried into Congress, as such dis
putes are taken into Parliament. The
peonle would not like to nave the mem
/ bership of the upper House of Congress
designated as Senators spiritual and
Senators temporal
| What assurance has Rev. Mcknight
that if we had the English plan in OPP
Grafton. his church would be the national
! church? Might it not happen that the
! Roman Catholics, the Methodists, the
| Baptists, or the Presbyterians would get
into that position? In that event Mr..
/ Mcknight would have a realizing sense
of the injustice of the arrangement
would feel Just as the English dissenters
do in relation to the established church
/ of their country.
AS to the proposed amendment of the
! flag by putting a cross on it, that will
have to wait until we have an established
church. Our government, our Constitu-
! ton. recognizes no one religion. Under
the Stars and Stripes all religions are
assured of equal protection. Jews and
Gentiles are equally eligible to all official
stations. We protect the Chinese joss
house and those who go there to worship
idols Just as we do the Christian church
/ es We are bound to let 1.-The heather
rage if they do not rage too loud. And
what has been the result of all this toll
GRAFTON? Simply this that our flag floats
over a people who have made unexam-
pied progress in religion and in all that
attests the advantages of Christian civil
ization The Post regrets that a clergy
man who is prominent enough to be a
member of the Protestant Episcopal Mis-.
sionary Council entertains the views ex-
pressed by the Rev. Mcknight. That he
will find any great amount of sympathy
with such sentiments among his brethren
| is not even remotely possible. But if he
cannot get along comfortably without
an established church, he is not bound to
remain on this side of the Atlantic.