FOR CHURCH AND STATE UNION.
By William N. Glenn
THE W. C. T. U. indorses the work of the National Reform Association, and vice versa. An official of the National Reform Association, as far back as 1888, thus emphatically expressed the unity of these organizations:— The Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the Prohibition party have become so entirely National Reform organizations that the regular National Reform organizers have ceased to organize local National Reform clubs as such, but work through these to spread the National Reform ideas. That both these organizations are aiming for Church and State union, a brief fundamental utterance from each will conclusively show. One object of the National Reform Association, as stated in its constitution, is:— To secure such an amendment to the Constitution of the United States as will declare the nation's allegiance to Jesus Christ, and its acceptance of the moral laws of the Christian religion, and so indicate that this is a Christian nation, and place all the Christian laws, institutions, and usages of our government on an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of the land. The W. C. T. U. position is thus stated in the utterance of its president in a national convention, which utterance has passed into a party slogan, and is warmly commended by the organ of the National Reformers:— The Woman's Christian Temperance Union, local, State, national, and world wide, has one vital, organic thought, one all-absorbing purpose, one undying enthusiasm, and that is that Christ shall be this world's king. Yea, verily, this world's king, in its realm of cause and effect; king of its courts, its camps, its commerce; king of its colleges and cloister; king of its customs and its constitutions. If these sentiments do not demonstrate a settled purpose to have the State use its machinery for the furtherance of church interests, and to give the church an advantage in the conduct of the State, what do they show? If the consummation of the design expressed in the foregoing quotations would not effect a union of Church and State, what could bring about such a union? It would be well for the people to look to the culminating object of such organizations before giving aid and comfort to them.