A Sample of Political Religion.—
It appears now that it was at first designed that a Roman Catholic archbishop should open the recent National Republican Convention at St. Louis, with prayer; but the A. P. A. men offered so much opposition, threatening even to bring the matter into open convention, that the Roman Catholic prayer was abandoned. Then it was thought that some Protestant minister might be selected, but to this the Roman Catholics objected. The result was that the Herod of A. P. A.-ism and the Pilate of Romanism were pacified by the offering of a Jew. An “unchristian” rabbi was chosen to make the prayer. The Christian Statesman stands aghast at this, and wonders if the Republican party has rejected Christ. The fact is that the Republican party as such, or any other political party, never accepted Christ. Men do not accept Christ by parties, but as individuals. The unseemly squabble at St. Louis is an indication of what will be much more frequent as the present state and church régime, on which this nation has just entered, develops. America is living the life of Rome over again.