Religious Liberty Before the Missouri Legislature

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 22, 1909

Religious Liberty Before the Missouri Legislature

In Paul's day the gospel found its way into Cæsar's household. Providence is creating similar openings for the special message for this generation, whereby it may be brought before those occupying high positions in the political world. An incident of this character is seen in the recent opportunity afforded Brother and Sister J. S. Wightman to present the principles of religious liberty before the Missouri Legislature. By resolution in the House of Representatives, Mrs. Wightman was invited to use the chamber for an evening address on “The Rise of Religious Liberty in the United States.” This lecture was well attended by the legislators and their families. She was then invited to address the legislature in session, on the same principles.

Of this later address the Jefferson City Daily Times, of April 14, speaks as follows:—

Mrs. Lulu Wightman, the public advocate of civil and religious liberty, was attentively listened to by nearly every member of the legislature in his seat yesterday afternoon. Many of the wives and families of the representatives were present, and a number of senators were present.

Mrs. Wightman spoke from five o'clock, the hour fixed by the resolution adopted in the House earlier in the day, until a quarter past six o'clock. Her subject was the “Object of Civil Government.” . . . Nature has endowed Mrs. Wightman with a remarkably fine voice; while it is very evident that she has given much study to her subject. The speaker traced the work of Roger Williams, the statesman-preacher, who founded the first free commonwealth in the New World, depicted in glowing terms the struggles of the early colonists to free themselves from a church-and-state system of government, and read from various American State papers in support of her contention that it was not in the province of civil government to legislate upon questions that were distinctly and essentially moral and religious. She paid particular attention to the United States Senate and House reports of 1829-30, in which the government had refused to commit itself to religious legislation, condemning the methods of religious bigots of that day to amend and change the Constitution of the United States so that religious dogmas and tenets of faith might be enforced upon a free people. . . . As upon the preceding evening, at the conclusion of her speech a large number of lawmakers gathered about the woman apostle of “inalienable rights,” and offered their congratulations.