The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1943-07-15

Park, July 4th.
We often fail to cherish the pos
sessions we have until the loss of
some of them brings to us the sud
den realization of their true value.
We have come to take for granted
the liberties we possess today at
little or no cost to ourselves. Sell
dom do we top to think what it
means to be able to speak our minds
freely and without fear of punish
ment by sovereign authority. As we
go our several ways to worship God
according to the dictates of our own
conscience, the peaceful atmosphere
that permeates our religious activ-
tiles is too often dismissed with a
casual thought.
Religious freedom as we know it
today, is one of the most recent de-
velopments in modern civilization.
1t is the result of centuries of strug-
gle. Little does the sunshine, pour
ing forth light and beauty and con-
tentment on a glorious Sabbath
morning, betray the prosecutions,
the conflicts, and the bloodshed OF
earlier days when religious freedom
was unknown and religious toler-
ance was scarcely recognized as an
ideal.
When the story of American Gull
ture is finally written, foremost
among the basic factors influencing
the development of American life
and customs will be that vital con-
tribution of the American people to
the civilization of mankind the
principle of religious freedom.
The American doctrine of separa-
ton of church and state did not
come about suddenly, nor was it an
accepted principle in early Colonial
days.
Circumstances peculiar to the
American scene at the time of the
founding of the United States ac-
count largely for its incorporation
in the Constitution. Most of the
colonial governments however, were
tolerant of religious groups other
than the one associated with the gov
eminent. This tolerance represent
ed a departure from Old World
ideas largely in the degree of its
federation extended by the colonies
and often consisted of the denial OF
specific civil rights such as the right
to vote or otherwise to participate
in the affairs of government, unless
one belonged to the politically &C
cepted church. This federation as
practiced in the American colonies
which was far more liberal than
most of the Old World views ano
practices with respect to the rela-
tionship of church and state, laid
the foundation for the fully de-
veloped religious freedom that was
ultimately to become one of the
greatest principles of American life
We Marylanders can well be
proud When the Calverts founded
Maryland they proclaimed 'every
man should have the right to wor-
ship God according to the dictates
of his conscience" and that doctrine
has been upheld in this state fo1
more than 300 years.
Forces are at work today, how
ever, which tend to change the con-
ditions and to alter the practical
considerations to such an extent that
the ideal of religious liberty is in
danger of being undermined. One
of these forces may be found in the
dictatorial form of government now
popular in some parts of the world
DR.. John Alexander Mackey, Presi-
dent of Princeton Theological Semi
nary, has explained in the New
York Times how the principles OF
dictatorial government affect re-
ligious freedom.
He says: "The totalitarian state
whether in it's communist or its
fascist form, embodies three revo-
Ilutionary principles. First, it equates