The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-09

due process of the case, and withhold judgment. Your challenge to duplicate the case of the nurse who waited upon the sick hobo and then caught the in- fectious disease and died, is too easy to bother with. We can duplicate 1t from the ranks of any church Christian or pagan of Jew. But 1t never occurred to Us before how useful it is for churches to can such incidents for future use in getting subsidies from the public funds The case you mention is very beautiful one and you will be glad to know that it is very common sight In humanity of every lands and creed. Our only regret in the case you mention is that such a beautiful life the church called into the service of humanity should have been sacrificed so wontonly, when vaccination might have given her yet many years of usefulness. Your estimate of the value of the charity work done at the St. Vim cent Is quite beyond that the evidence at present in the hands of the committee would warrant; but if you will only be patient we hope to get at the authentic facts in this matter
 But all this, MT. EdRor, is utterly tr-
 
 You get to the real Issue in the latter part of your editorial and join issue squarely with us. You come out boldly and bravely in favor of the policy of sub- sidizing ecclesiastical institutions from the public funds and propose to invite the Methodist and other ecclesiastical bodies to come and get their portion of the subsidies. This is just the situation s which has been in vogue in France until recently rejected, and is return to the policy of the medieval ages. Against this policy the Baptists are utterly and lrrevocably opposed by every tradition and belief. As you say this Is the real issue stripped of all technicalities, and in your efforts to institute such a policy you have war on your hands which will stir the Baptists of this country as they have never been since the days they went to jail in behalf of the doctrine of sepa- ration of church and state. Both by tradition and belief they are guardians of this American principle of the entire sepa- ration of church and state. We propose to discover whether the principle is now d part of our organic law, and If so will see that the Jaw Is obeyed and respected by all; and if 1t Is not a part of the or- ganic law we will get busy to do for Ala bama what our fathers did for other states more than century agos
 We are opposed to subsidizing ecclesi- astical institutions for the following and other reasons: First. 1t will throw all the forty churches in this community into politics, each grabbing for It's turn to feed from the public crib. Every time the board of county commissioners is to be elected we will have these churches dabbling in politics. Second, it will in- troduce confusion into the profession of medicine by breaking 1t up into segments according to ecclesiastical utilization. to the injury of this arm of public service. Third. 1t will sectarianize hospital serv- ice. when there Is no more reason for so doing tha nthere is for ecclesiastical bank ing or commerce or manufacturing It will sectarianize charity which all history shows to be as catholic or universal as mankind itself. We are opposed to sec tarianizing the charity of this commun- ity. Fourth 1t will inevitably lead to the supervision of all ecclesiastical institu- tions by the civil authorities. There are other reasons which we need not now mention. but you will hear of them be- fore this campaign is over. The matter will be brought before the Alabama Bap- tist state convention, which will meet at Dothan on the 23d of this month, when the public will probably hear further from 1t. In the meantime, we are in fla vor of building new hospital in this community to be operated as purely business enterprise. rendering good serv- ice and charging it5 patrons quid pro quo therefor, just as banks, hotels and other lines of public service are wont to do; and enlarging the Hillman until it shall suffice to accommodate all charity patients, as an expression of the charity of the community without regard to sect or creed. Hospital service is not in itself a charity, any more than the selling of groceries; and ought not to be made so. The issue is now clearly before the peo- pie and we may we'll wait to see if we have any law on the matter. Very truly yours, A. J. DICKINSON.
 Birmingham, July 8, 19O7