nion in Tennessee! That is to say, that public opinion in
Tennessee upon the question of religious belief stands just where it
stood in New England two hundred and fifty years ago. We are free
to say, however, that we do not believe that such is public opinion in
Tennessee. We are not ready, just yet, to confess that in Tennessee
there has been no progress in this respect within the last two
hundred and fifty years. That on the part of certain individuals
there has been no such progress we freely admit; but that such is
the state of public opinion in that State to-day, we do decidedly
doubt. It is in order, however, for the press of Tennessee to speak
much more plainly than it has yet done, as to whether Judge
Hammond has correctly gauged public opinion, or whether he has
mistaken his own views for public opinion, in that State, on the
question of the constitutional freedom of religious belief.
The reader may for himself form an estimate of the correctness
of Judge Hammond's views, so far as the Constitution of Tennessee
itself is concerned, by reading again the extract from that
document, quoted near the beginning of this review (page 4).
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We might here inquire also, whether Judge Hammond, or
anybody else, really believes that the doctrine thus set forth by the
judge is in accord with the "belief of Mr. Madison and other
founders of our Government that they had practically established
absolute religious freedom and exemption from persecution for opinion's sake
in matters of religion"? and whether in this, either he or the State
of Tennessee is indeed thoroughly following the example set by
those founders of our Government?
The Individual Right of Religious Belief
From the foregoing extracts, which are a correct outline of the
theory of the whole dictum, it is seen that there is no recognition of
any such thing as the individual freedom of religious belief, the
individual right of conscience, but of "sectarian freedom" only. In the
whole discussion there is not the slightest appearance of any such
thing as the individual right of conscience or of religious belief. Yet
the individual right is the American idea, and is the one that is
contemplated in the United States Constitution and in the
Constitutions of the States, so far as they have follo
