Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1909-03-31


the people is the overriding and undsputed source Of
power The church Hourshes in all its branches under
the protection Of the civil law and is only the part of
wisdom that induces to follow the dictum Of Christ
Himself when he bade His followers render unto Caesar
the things that are caesars and unto God the things
that are Gods
1t comes therefore arring note in this peaceful
harmony of relations when the representative OF any
clesiasca body procaims oraculary regarding such
wise civil law as that regulating the performance OF the
marriage ceremony that OF the church cannot
adopt and regulate every civil law enacted The wis
dom of the law which requires ministers to be citizens OF
the country or at least have declared their intention o
becoming such before they perform important func
tion as the solemnzaion OF marriage ceremony may
possbv be mooed though there surely good reasons
WHY the law should thus provide. There is nothing
onerous in pl ovison which strengthens the Of the
civil authority and which affects all alike without the
shadow of discrimination On general principals there
can be no reasonable denial OF the proprey OF minister
who casts his lot with the people o this country and who
sets up as a teacher of morals and good citizenship, be-
coming citizen Of the country whose blessings and pro-
lection he shares If only for the sake of example which
does back to the great founder OF Christianity he should
be citizen before he instruct others in cit
zenshp The only escape from the reasonableness OF
this contention is that instruction in the duties appertaln-
ino 10 the various relations toward the community and the
state is not part Of the province of minister and there
N will be few who will take this extreme position.
The church fares exceedingly well in this counlfy.
Billions Of dollars worth property exempted from
taxation, taxation because the chd isgecosnzed as mighty
agency for good Railroads permitted to extend half
fare courteses to minister's but doctors and lawyers
and newspaper men, though will hardly be doubted that
doctors and lawyers and even newspaper men Of
some value to the community. Despite the domination Of
politics for the most part by influences which do not
emanate from the pulpit the voice Of the church
institution is becoming and more powerful Rei-
cous liberty in its widest is guaranteed by the
laws Of the land, from the municipal ordinances Of the
smaeat city to the supreme organic law OF the republic
The line of cleavage between church and state wisely
sharp in letter and largely spirit But in reality the
balance swings toward the pulpit and the pew The law
assuring freedom of conscience and worship is often
strained to the stretching point rather than bring about
even the suspicion Of persecution the denial OF the
smallest right The civil law is the splendid aegis be-
meath which the church thrves and radiaes its mAgn
I s6cenly upward and onward poencies.
The least that the church can do is to render unto
Caesar ell the things that Caesars and the civil law
saws that that only citizens OF the United States Of Amer
lea can Join in marriage the people who to enter the
life and carry out the destiny and comprise the fathers
and mothers and tcme builders and lawmakers and ci-
zens Of the United States Of America it does not lie in
the mouth OF the representative Of the rei-
rous body to sweep such law aside with Of the