The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-10-25
From the ~. Paul Dispatch.

FROM the ~. faui Dispatch.
@. Loves Dickinson. the man who
Chinese Ofiicial." but who wrote also
the more dignined book. "A Sympo-
alum" declared In the lattcr-for both
books contain criticism on American
ways and means-that religion In
America In a parasite without roots"
OF course Americans resent this. but
any acquaintance with the deeper
rooted sense OF religion la England and.
indeed. In all the strictly British coun-
tries. might lead one To suspect that
at least from Mr.. Dickipsons own point
Of view as an Engltshman. there was
much truth In the assertion.
The snnouncemcpt yesterday I'm Min.
ncapohs. before thN Presbyterinn syn
Cd. that one-half Of the converts to
Presbyterian faith during the past
year In Minnesota have not MATERIAL
i1ed. have not added To the sum total
OF the mcmbership. but have wandered
on under the pressure OF "worldli.
meas" may or may not be testimony to
the statrment that religion In a para
inclined To think IL In. And last week
from another denomination. the Meth
Odist. we learned that there. also. had
been falling OF In the number of
converts and the number Of mcmbcrs
This WIS not the revelation OF a state
secret. but a calm facing OF the fact
which everyone acquainted with
church affairs had come to notice. and
We Go not suppose that Il In q fact
confined singuia.iy to these two Prot.
cstant denominations. but that IL In
true also Of all the others. II Is
condition OF affairs which may well
give one pause. We doubt ~ Il is al
together hopeless: we do not believe
that IL In anything more than q tenn
porary transitional state. and we be-
5ieve that good and well being lie be-
yond. But our general hopefuiness
should not blind us to the particular
crisis Of the present.
The first difficulty would seem to be
that we have altogether and too sue.
ccssfuliy divorced state and church.
This was an absolute necessity In our
American beginning. America was for
tunately founded by that very class
OF mon from the old world. England
and the continent. who sought freedom
In religious affairs and tho right tn
their Individual conscience. They did
not secure u. Of course: We all know
that. No sooner had they colonizcd n
small spot on the great American con-
tfucnt that one conscience attempted
and usually succeeded I'm overriding all
the other consciences. and particularly
did one kind OF conscience dominate
each colony. We worked out OF that
condition. very largely through divorce
Ing church and state In practice. until
today We are absolutely In the divorced
state. and both state and church suf-
Ger. And the people have suffered most
Of all. We by no means advocate a rc-
turn to n state church. The solution
Of government have already felt a fine
wave Of moral enthusiasm. and what
ts better. the very foundations are be-
ing reconstructed. so that instead OF
smpcrmancnt wavcE. there may be per-
mancnt good. dcccncy and honesty. rs
the foundation stones OF municipal and
state and national life. Some such re-
form IN certain To overtake the church.
We could wish IL would come not alone
I'm the churches but I'm the state. moro
particularly In the public schools and
that rcliidon which Is not dcnomina-
eionai should win for itself a place
In the curriculum. Docs anyone doubt
that much OF the dignity aud serious
ness OF attitude or an Englishman
toward his country. comes from tho
mingiinE Of religion and government
In his early school training? And tho
chapel service which every college of
oxford or Cambridge holds each day.
which has unfortunately not been APP
preached by tho very pcrfunctoTy
chapel service held In American col
leges. has had large part In inclin-
ting the mind OF the undevcloped stu
dent TO higher things and even toward
FORMAL devotion. We could wish our
American sense OF religion TO be vol
untary. spontaneous. But we are con-
WINGED that the formal observance has
Its important part. The parasite win
give place To- the living truth when the
frat service 20 tho state. performed by
tho child In lis attendance ut school.
becomes religious as well as civil