Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1922-01-25
REAL AMERICANISM
CLEARLY EXPLAINED
1t Was First Enunciated by Jesus
Christ; 1t Is Not a New
Wolrd Creation.

Many things are constantly beins
put forth as "AmericaniSm' that are
not Americanism in fact, and there are
many people who do not understand
what Americanism really is. No where
have we seen a so clear an explana-
tion of what Americanism really IS
as in the little publication called
Liberty" Here is what c. P. Boil
man, writing in Liberty, says Ameri-
canism really is in all its purity:
"Americanism" is a term much used
these days, and withal not little
abused 1t is employed as meaning
many things not American at all, but
which their promoters would impose
upon the public as being in harmony
with American spirit and principles.
In politician sense, Americalnsm SIG
nifes the recognition and protection
of natural, God-given rights, both
civil and religious. 1t means the Dec
laration of independence as against
the doctrine of the divine right OF
kings. 1t means civil administration
by right and not by might. 1t stands
for government of the people, by the
people, and for the people" in all
secular affairs, and the policy of
"hands off" in all matters pertaining
to real or supposed duty owed by men
to God. This is Americanism.
But strange as it, may seem, that
which is now properly called Ameri-
canism was first enunciated, not in
the New World, but in the Old; not
upon the Western Continent, but the
Eastern; not in Amarica. but in Asia;
not in a free commonwealth, but in a
Roman province; not in the United
States, but in Palestine. 1t was not
born of human wisdom, but of divine
and was voiced, not by
man, but by God, even by the Lord
Jesus Christ, our divine Teacher and
Saviour. Says George Bancroft:
mo one thought of vindicating
liberty of religion for the conscience
of the individual, till voice in Judea,
breaking dav fo- the greatest epoch |
in the life of humanity by establishing
for all mankind a pure, spiritual, and
religion, enjoined to render
to Caesar only that which is Caesars.
of the United States" Vol.
vi, book S, chapt I. II
In the same volume, DR.. Bancroft
writes:
"Vindicating the right of the indi-
viduality even in religion, and in re-
ligion above all, the new nation dared
to set the example of accepting in its
relations to God the principles first
divinely ordained in Judea. 1t left
the management of temporal things to
the temporal power. but the Amerl-
can Constitution, in harmony with the
people of the several states, with
held from the Federal Government
the power to invade the home of reas-
on, the citadel of conscience, the sanct
uary of the soul; and not from indif-
ference, but that infinite spirit OF
eternal truth might move in its tree
dom and purity and power"
And it is this doctrine of religious
and civil liberty. especially freedom
in the sphere of religion, that is today
properly known as "Americanism;"
and that for the sufficient rea--n that
hough originally voiced in Judea, it
was first accepted and adopted in a
practical way as sound political pril-
,iple by the founders of the American
government who wrote it into the
Declaration of Independence, and
he national Constitution, in the i'm
when after independence had been ac-
by Britain, embodied II in
Mortal words. Congress shall make
10 law respecting an establishment OF
.eligion, o. prohibiting the free ex-
rcise thereof"
The prohibition of "An establish
nent of religion" might have been
to mean that there should
,e no state or national church. as was
he case in every European country.
3ut the words. cor prohibit the free
exercise thereof" give the First
a very broad and unmis- :
akable meaning. The domain of re-
igion, "thc home of reason, the cita.
lei OF conscience. the sanctuary OF
he soul" is not to be invaded IN any f
way by the civil power. This was v
Amercanism in the infancy of the a
american Republic, and it is Ameri- "
anism today. v