The representative., 1901-04-18


being fought all over the world. The
question OF religious liberty was settled
at that time. It WAS settled forever and
IL was settled right. The early settlers
In this country were to large extent
driven to come here BY religious perse-
cutions in the old world. European Pro-
testant countries had driven out the
Catholics and Catholic countries had
driven out the Protestants, and all these
exiled for their religion found refuge in
America
One Of the first acts of these early set
tiers was to divorce church and state.
Politics and religion had to be separated
to prevent deluge of blood and per-
petual war. For more than one hundred
years the propriety of this enforcement
was theme for national and interna-
tional discussion, and in this country it
was regarded as settled for all time
when the founders of our government
placed in the constitution guaranty of
liberty OF conscience"
The gist of the entire religious con-
troversy which lasted for centuries and
shed rivers of blood, was embodied In
the principle that men should not be
compelled to contribute or pay for what
they don't want
The same reasons exist for the di-
vorcement of church and school. PeO-
pie Of this country would rise up en-
masse against any attempt to compel
all children to attend Sabbath school
and they would be doubly indignant
against any attempt to make all child
ren attend some particular Sabbath
school,; and back of all their indigna-
tion would be the idea that they were
taxed to pay for what they did not want
or were, perhaps. paying for the support
of that to which they were bitterly op-
posed. Our people of all religious de-
nominations have united in a demand
that education should be compulsory as
an essential element of the better citi-
zenship.
If, then, any particular religion be
taught in the public schools, it must be
equivalent to making that religion COM
pulsory.
The verdict of our fOrefathers was
that all religion must be rigidly exclud-
ed from state affairs. The same YER
dict should be extended to the schools
and exclusion rests upon the same rea-
sons in the one case as in the other.
Compulsion and taxation, which is
only one form of compulsion, cannot
dwell in the same house with any re-
ligion.
If Methodism is permitted in our
schools at public expense, then, certain
ly, Catholics must be accorded equal
privileges Then we must smile graci-
ously upon the Jew, the Mormon and,
possibly, the Mohammedan. Our fathers
fought for religious liberty. They sacri-
feed life rather than have forced upon
them directly or Indirectly any religion
they did not approve. Men will do the
same thing today. Human nature in
this respect has not changed and never
will change.
Religion cannot be forced upon a peo-
pie by making education compulsory and
then making religion part of educa-
ton. 1t is a great scheme, but it can
not be worked. Religious differences
will always cooperate with unbelievers
to hold this question level. The state
should have absolute control of the
schools Church and state are divorced,
therefore this enforcement should extend
to every public school maintained in
whole of in part from the public treas
ury. Let every man enjoy his own par
ticular religion and pay for it. This
would be impossible with any religion
forced into, or even permitted, in our
public schools.