(Continued from first page.)

sciences. When the state and the church became distinct, the latter remained all-powerful for a long time. Ecclesiastical officials claimed for members of their brotherhood immunity from the ordinary duties of citizenship. In England the clergy possessed the right to punish for crime all accused persons who could prove their right to the "benefit of the clergy" by reading a passage from the Bible. As late as the sixteenth century, a clerk in orders could be only branded for murder. The well-known story of Becket's struggle against Henry shows the power that the church possessed.

Now, however, the relation of religion to civil authority is precisely opposite. As laymen could pretend to no authority over members of the clergy, so now the church holds no power over the civillaw. The church is, in a sense, "established." It is recognized and protected by the law. The constitution of our country makes no requirement of religious belief to make a person eligible for office. Moreover, it forbids the passage of any laws for the benefit of any sect. All beliefs are tolerated, and the law that offers them its protection is independent of them, just as the church was once independent of the law.