The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-08-18
THE PREACHER IN POLITICS

- ~ ~.e
Christendom. Politically it was the
savior of Europe"
Although dealt . staggering blow
by the May Law" . few decades ago.
it is admitted that today it is the pow
er of the Papacy that stands between
German Socialism and the throne of
Germany. In France it is noticeable
that decreasing birth rate and other
evidence of deterioration have develop.
ed in proportion IS the p"wer Of the
Church has waned. In Italy, during
the days Of the Papai power, thu
Church gave thorough religious edn
cation and ct least . modicum ofsecular
training to every child. But under
the present regime, following closely
upon the heels of the destruction Of
the pcpe's temporal power. religious
education has been totally abolished
by the Italian government and no
schools have been provided to take
the place of those which were discs
tablished. Everywhere, in America
as we'll as in Europe, the Church Of
Rome is in politics to this extent. 1t
is the champion Of religious education
and is the unrelentiDg foe Of Socialism.
Hume, the monarchist and atheist,
in his history of England, declared that
the severance Of church from State by
William the Conqueror was ill judged
policy" This opinion Of Hume's was
On doubt promoted by his belief that
united with the State, the Church was
an instrument Of despIisn,; severed
from it, she conserved The liberties of
the subject. But this is certainly rot
true today of at least one South Ameri
can republic, which is practically gov.
erned by the .Iesuits. Nor can the
unbiased student Of history concur in
the view Of Thomas Jefferson, when
that statesman said, I'm every country
and in every sg- the priest has been
hostile tn libertv." .Jeff.rsOus state
ment no doubt Was evoked by his
knowledge fih- fact that the Church's
best work ia ,"litics has not been ex-
emplifie,l in the ecclesiastical admins
tration of governmental affairs. but
rather when her ministers have EN-.
plOyed their power. individually, in
the advancement of moral issues. In
dividual churchmen, like Mazsrin and
Richelieu, have done brilliant work in
the cabinet, but where the church Is
such assumed t" dictate the whole bust
Less Of civil administration, her fail
ures often have been quite as conspicu-
Gus rs her successes. religious intOler
ance sometimes inducing political tyr.
amy and fausticism playing handmade
to despotism.
1t is we'll known that Archbishop
Anselm opposed most strenuously the
tyranny ofWilliam Rufus. To anoth.
er archbishop, Stephen Langton, we
owe the Magma Charta.
But the work of the Church iu be-
half of human liberty did not begin
and end with Magma Charta. As far
back Is the Twelfth century, Pope
Alexander Ill declared that nature
had no slaves, and teat all men had
equal right to life and liberty. Stud.
ents Of history are familiar with the
fight waged by the great and good Las
Cassus against human slavery. The
language used by Thomas Jefferson in
the Constitution of Virginia is Identical
with that of Fenelon, the removed
French bishop, in his letter to james
II urging him to proclaim religious
liberty to all his subjects.
When they have chosen to interfere
the clergy have always welded a great
influence in politics. A marked in.
stance of this is cited by Macaulay:
"Of all the causes which, after the dis
solution of the Oxford parliament, pro-
duced the violent reaction against the |
Exclusionists, the most potent seems to |
have been the oratory Of the country |
clergy" As early as the reign Of
Richard II, "levelling principles" were
disseminated among thepeople by John
Ball, seditious preacher. Black mini
ster of St. Andrews, in 1896, gave the
Queen of England the appellation OF
atheist" and declared that all kings
were the devils children; . remarkable
utterance for that time, and perhaps
premonition of the Cromwellian Re.
yolution. In the country pulpits were
heard the first mutterings Of the storm