Church and State — No Union Upon Any Terms

A female figure labeled STATE stands in a columned government doorway, arm outstretched in flat refusal. Below her, representatives of competing faiths — identifiable by costume and the miniature church models on wheels they push forward — jostle to gain entry: a Catholic bishop, a Presbyterian clergyman, and others. To the left, figures labeled HEATHEN CHINEE reference Bret Harte's 1870 poem and reflect concerns over Chinese immigration. The background cityscape bristles with steeples and domes from a dozen denominations. The caption reads: CHURCH AND STATE — NO UNION UPON ANY TERMS. Nast, himself shaped by German freethought, argues that the state must repel every sectarian claimant equally — no favors, no funding, no exceptions.