science must be safeguarded to the end. The attempted assaults frequently made upon civil as well as religious liberty in the proposed religious legislation and measures introduced into our State legislatures and Congress, are threatening the peace of the nation and the progress of Christian worship. Do we wish to mar the peace of society, embitter communicant's and discredit the claims of Christianity by imparting to our standard of liberty the poisonous virus of religious intolerance? If so, Sunday legislation would be an effective instrumentality in breaking down American ideals for which the fathers of this government gave their all. If this is to come, let it be in the open, and not disguised in the robes of moral reform or religious advancement. The home and the church constitute the sanctuary of religious instruction and discipline in America. This proposed Sunday legislation bears the odor of the Dark Ages.

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By Lee S. Wheeler

URE religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27. Pure religion is not of earthly, but of heavenly origin; not human, but divine; therefore said Jesus, "My kingdom is not of this world." John 18:36.

The triumph of true religion in the world is assured and advanced, not by governments, but by God; not by mandates, but by missions; not by law, but by love; not by billies, but by Bibles; not by force, but by freedom; not by fear, but by faith; not by sword, but by but by per

spirit; not by pro but by in

suasion; not by inquisition,

tuition; not by intolerance, but by intelligence; not by conformity, but by conversion; not by politics, but by prayers; not by votes, but by vows; not by su

premacy, but by service; not by meanness, but by meekness; not by passion, but by peace; not by the wisdom of this world, but by "the wisdom that is from above," which " is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." James 3:17.

In other words, it is a matter of the heart and of the conscience, which is not cognizable by any department of state, and the better this is understood, the less religion will be defiled by intercourse with the secular power.

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Opinions on the Blue Laws HE following question was directed to prominent clergymen and public officials of Sacramento, Calif., according to the account of the Sacramento Star, Dec. 15, 1922:

"Do you favor the passage of the Sunday blue laws in the State of California?"

The answers from the clergymen and public officials were as follows:

"Rev. Ralph Rader: 'If it came to a choice between present America and Puritanical America, I would favor the latter. It was from people of those days whence came this country. The public now has a tendency to disregard the Sabbath.'

"Rev. W. C. Whitaker: 'I would not express my opinion of the proposed laws without first reading them fully. would not approve of this country reverting to the Puritanical stage, however.'

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AHE dedication speech of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, Pa., is regarded everywhere as a classic. It is said that at the time this memorable address was delivered, it was considered almost a failure, and regret was pressed that the the great emancipator should have been so commonplace on that important occasion which was the dedication of the ground upon which had been shed so much precious blood in defense of the nation's perpetuity.

Mr. Lincoln was not the orator of the day, that place having been given to Edward Everett, who held forth for more than an hour. Yet Everett's speech is scarcely ever referred to, whereas Lincoln's ten-minute address is high in the literary hall of fame. Why the difference? Note the familiar, but pointed, short sentences of this great advocate of Americanism:

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the

that we here

last full measure of devotion highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Lincoln evidently believed that this nation was heaven born, a well-recog nized, commonplace fact to the student of our history. In a speech at Edwardsville, Ill., Sept. 13, 1858, he said:

"Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in us. Our defense is in the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of des potism at your own doors. Familiarize yourself with the chains of bondage, and you prepare your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of others, you have lost the genius of your own independence and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises among you."

And Lincoln evidently believed that the perpetuity of this nation depended upon its citizenry's standing by the faith of the founding fathers, who themselves maintained that "the powers that be are ordained of God," with specified limitations.

In a speech at Beardstown. Ill., Aug. 12, 1858, calling back to the Declaration of Independence, he made this significant statement which should be "meat in due season" to those religious leaders who would change our form of government:

."Now, my countrymen, if you have been taught doctrines conflicting with the great landmarks of the Declaration of Independence; if you have listened to suggestions which would take away from its grandeur and mutilate the fair symmetry of its proportions; if you have been inclined to believe that all men are not created equal in those inalienable rights enumerated by our chart of liberty, let me entreat you to come back. Return to the fortain whose waters spring close by the blood of the revolu tion."

And as if to emphasize his sincerity of patriotic devotion to his country's welfare, he continued:

"Think nothing of me; take no thought for the political fate of any man whomsoever, but come back to the truths that are in the Declaration of Independence. You may do anything with me you choose, if you will but heed these sacred principles. You may not only defeat me for the Senate, but you may take me and put me to death. While pretending no indifference to earthly honors, I do claim to be actuated in this contest by something higher than an anxiety for office. I charge you to drop every paltry and insignificant thought for any man's success. It is nothing; I am nothing; Judge Douglas is nothing. But do not destroy the immortal emblem of humanity - the Declaration of Independence."

Notwithstanding the high acclaim in which this great martyr to principle is held by the people of America, notwithstanding the fact that his eloquent words burn in the hearts of the world's citizenry as they yearn for the blessings of liberty, notwithstanding Lincoln's high regard for the Declaration, is it not exceedingly strange that one found a university president some years ago referring to the great document of American liberty as "a mass of glittering generalities;" and that we can pick up a religious paper dedicated to heaven-born ideals and find its editor advocating an amendment to the Constitution which would take away that liberty for which the fathers and Mr. Lincoln stood?

It is to be devoutly hoped that the statesmen of today will follow in the path blazed by one of the world's greatest men of all times, and stand by the principles of the Declaration of Independence, let the consequences to them be what they may. The hall of fame dedicated to such statesmanship has plenty of room for others than the great Lincoln. Such a government as he stood pledged to maintain, under God, will not perish; but if God's plan in ordaining the "powers that be" is frustrated by unAmerican legislation which would take from the people the inalienable rights with which they came into the world,as for instance, compulsory Sunday observance laws, then the fall of this great nation is due, as certainly as have other nations fallen which tried their hand at fighting against God.

Let us honor Lincoln by emulating his example; let us revere his memory by applying ourselves to the task for which, he gave his life, namely, keeping the nation in the divinely appointed course so adequately begun by the founding Christian fathers. And in our relation to mankind let us strive for what Lincoln

desired, "want it to be said of me by those who know me best, that I have always plucked a thistle and planted a flower in its place, wherever a flower would grow."

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ISITING the city of Chester, Pa., the editor passed an old cemetery near the center of the city, and observed an ancient monument with the Stars and Stripes flying from a high flagpole beside it. This unusual incident convinced him that a prominent patriot must be buried at that place, and led him to investigate. It proved to be the monument erected in honor of John Morton, the man who made possible the Declaration of Independence. The following writing was found on the monument, towering about twenty-five feet in the air. "JOHN MORTON

"Being censured by some of his friends for his boldness in giving the casting vote for the Declaration of Independence, his prophetic spirit dictated from his deathbed the following message to them:

"Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it to have been the most glorious service that I have ever rendered to my country.'

"In voting by States upon the question of the Independence of the American Colonies, there was a tie until the vote of Pennsylvania was given, two members from which voted in the affirmative and two in the negative. The tie continued until the vote of the last member. John Morton decided the promulgation of the glorious Diploma of American Freedom.

"In 1775, while speaker of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, John Morton was re-elected a member of Congress, and in the ever-memorable session of July, 1776, he attended that august body for the last time, enshrining his name in the grateful remembrance of the American people by signing the Declaration of Independence.

"John Morton was a member of the first American Congress from the State of Pennsylvania, assembled in New York in 1765, and of the next Congress, assembled in Philadelphia in 1774, and various other public stations. Born A. D. 1724. Died April, 1777.”

Civil Independence and Constitutional Rights Versus Some Laws

(Concluded from page 71)

a majority for any action does not make the action right, any more than the command of a king makes a thing right."

Therefore if any State shall adopt any amendments to its constitution, or make any laws which shall be destructive of, or interfere with, the natural rights of its citizens, it is contrary to the spirit of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. And according to these documents, the people shall have the right peaceably to seek redress, even to altering or abolishing such laws in order to maintain the blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity.

Ever constant watchfulness. yea, "eternal vigilance, is the price of liberty."

The Dangers Which Threaten America's Peace

(Concluded from page 69) tions of His law at their hands. Such doctrines as these are not the creation of fancy. They are actually advocated by religious organizations which have strong and well-financed "Christian " lobbies established at Washington for the purpose of influencing Congress along legislative lines to bring about such changes in our Constitution as will permit their suggested program to become a reality.

The same old theocratical influences are at work in America as operated in

the Roman Empire during the fourth and fifth centuries, which led to all the evils of church establishments in the Old World, and to the persecutions which culminated in the establishment of the Inquisition. The only difference is that the personnel of the proponents of these measures is not the same, but the spirit of intolerance and bigotry is the same. When this spirit becomes thoroughly organized in the United States, it will do the same to America as it did to Rome in medieval times. We need not try the experiment over again under a new name and a different personnel, as it will yield the same bitter fruitage and bring the same catastrophe in America as it did in Rome.

America faces a crisis. There are rocks ahead for the ship of state. Europe is not alone in a welter of trouble. There are financial, social, political, and religious factors at work in America of such gigantic proportions and of such disturbing potentialities. that we may well tremble for the peace and prosperity of our glorious Republic. We hope that wise counsel may prevail and that the threatened storm may be averted, but this can only be brought about by a miracle of God's grace in the human heart which will lead every man to love his brother and to esteem his rights and privileges even as he does his

own.

REFORM legislation received an unexpected setback when the State senate. by a margin of one vote, refused to pass the bill prohibiting the operation of swimming pools and dance halls on Sunday. It was at once dual evidence. that South Carolina has an uncommonly prudent senate, and that popular opinion is finding expression in the legislative halls.

The invasion of personal liberty by democracy is one of the topics of the hour, and there is no question that a wave of righteous indignation has arisen over it. Greenville (S. C.) News.