Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-10-26
From the st. Paul Dispatch

From the st. Paul Dispatch
G. Loves Dickinson, the mar I
wrote the anonymous Letters
Chinese Official" but who wro,,@'
the more dignified book. "a
sum-" declared in the latter-sM |
books contain criticism on AZ |
ways and means-that '~'relioiaa
America Is a parasite without
OF course Americans resent inv
any acquaintance with the !
rooted sense Of religion in Englans
indeed, in all the strictly British
tries, might lead one to susnao,
at least from Mr.. Dickinson's own
of view as an Englishman, thera
much truth in the assertion.
The announcement yesterday 4, ( Z
neapolis, before the Presbyterian
cd, that one-half of the convar,.
Presbyterian faith during the
year in Minnesota have not mat.
lied, have not added to the sum
OF the membership, but have wans
off under the pressure of "wo.
ness" may or may not be testimos'
the statement that religion is . :
site without roots" but we are -
inclined to think it is. And last
from another denomination. the N,
odist, we learned that there. also
been a falling off in the numbs,
converts and the number of mnynl
This was not the revelation of . NJ
secret, but a calm facing of the
which everyone acquainted y
church affairs had come to notice
we do not suppose that it is q i
confined singulerly to these two D..
estant denominations, but that ~
true also of all the others. If /.
condition of affairs which NAV =.
give n pause. We doubt If II il
together hopeless; we do moi haIis
that it is anything more than q r.,
porary transitional state, and we \
lieve that good and well being liz !
yond. But u general hopefuns
should not blind us to the particrl
crisis Of the present.
The first difficulty would seem 70
that we have altogether and too 81
cessfully divorced state and chm,
This was an absolute necessity in q
American beginning. America was n
~tunately founded by that very 81,
Of men from the old world, Engs
and the continent, who sought freed.
in religious affairs and the right
NAASAA AAAN NolIoI1CIlGG new
not secure ii, of course; we all kn
that. No sooner had they colonized
small spot on the great American CO
tinent that one conscience attemn
and usually succeeded in overriding
the other consciences, and particuia
did one kind of conscience domin
each colony. We worked out of h
condition, very largely through dive
ing nhI1rNh and ctnfn In nronr,,o -
today we are absolutely in the divor
state, and both state and church s
Ter. And the people have suffered m
of all. We by no means advocate a
turn to a state church. The solut
will come in some other way. Matt
of government have already felt a {
wave Of moral enthusiasm, and w
is better, the very foundations are
ing reconstructed, 50 that instead
impermanent waves, there may be .
manent good, decency and honesty,
the foundation stones of municipal
state and national life. Some such
form is certain to overtake the chur
We could wish it would come not ak
in the churches but in the state, m
particularly in the public schools
that religion which is not denomi
tional should win for itself a pL
in the curriculum. Does anyone do
that much of the dignity and serio
of attitude of an Englishn
toward his country, comes from
of religion and governm
in his early school training? And
chapel service which every college
oxford or Cambridge holds each d
which has unfortunately not been
preached by the very perfunct
chapel service held in American
leges, has had a large part in incl
ing the mind of the undeveloped S
dent to higher things and even tow,
FORMAL devotion. We could wish
American sense of religion to be '
untary, spontaneous. But we are c.
WINGED that the formal observance
it's important part. The parasite '
give place to the living truth when
first service to the state, performed
the child in its attendance at sch,
becomes religious as well as civil.