The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-06-14

The Religious Press,
The late Reverend Jonas Wild used to say
that IT was hard to foresee what would become of
religion in New York, for though the Lord had
churches to lVQk out for Him, the devil had re-
ligious newspapers to do his work, and there was
no knowing which would prevail. Our late
lamented brother knew well the subject of
which he spoke. Assuredly, if the devil have
any agents in this community doing his work,
driving people from God nurturing them in hate,
envy, malice and all uncharitableness, teaching
the young that religion is a bore, and the old
that il is an imposture-those agents are the re-
ligious newspapers.
There ae dozen Of them or thereabouts al
together, and they circulate from 5000 to 10000
sheets apiece-giving perhaps 100000 as the
aggregate weekly Issue of the whole. We doubt
whether even 10000 copies Of those publications
which are seized by the police and excluded by
the customs tariff would exercise more general
ly baneful effect on the minds of the community
than these 10000 religious" sheets do.
Until latterly, the staple material of these
sheets was squabbles with their neighbors on two
penny points of theological doctrine. Such dis
putes were invariably conducted with the
acerbity peculiar to the ecclesiastical pro-
fession. While profuse in such uuctuous ex-
pressions as " our dear BROTHER "our love
ard charity" "poor strayed sheep" "the
grace and love Of God" &C., the polemical
method of our pious contemporaries usually con-
sisted in insinuating that all who differed from
them were liars, cheats, and villains, and would
be roasted in particularly thorough manner in
hell Where this did not suffice. the ecclesiasti-
cal combatant withdrew into his dignity, and
quoted the parable about turning the left cheek
to him who smote the right. They first tried to
bully then to sreak; proving that Bobadil may
have worn q surplioe as well as sword.
Ls.terly, these sheets have emerged somewhat
from the pious retreat Of mutual abuse and re-
ciprocal blackguardism. They have got far
enough inte the world TO read the secular papers
and to comprehensively damn them. They have
likewise extended their anathenas to the theatre
and hare swept into Gehenna the entire tribe of
actors, actresses, managers, dramatic authors,
playgoers AID their friends generally. With
stroke of the pen these pious editors have settled
the eternal 6amnation of this large class Of their
fellow creatures. When one Of their own con-
frsr,s, learned, acute, and pious clergyman
ven.ured to interoede on behalf Of the the .tre.
they swept him in too. Some OF them insulted
him. and said It was no wonder nc took the side
Of the theatre didn't be belong to sect which
disbeleved this and that impossible point OF doc
trine! Others wouldn't stop to criticize; actors
were sinners-that was established-ergo, any
body who took their part was q sinner too
However they went about It, they all argued
that he'll was the only place for DR.. Bellows, the
actors, and the sinners Of the secular press.
We have had some experience of Journalism,
and have seen some very sorry specimens of
newspapers; but We do most solcmnly aver that,
in respect Of uselessness, meanness and maligni-
ty, We have never known any periodicals that
can compare with the religious press Of New
York. How It comes about we know not the
tendency Of Christianity is to humauze the
mind; whether The religious papers are uni
forniy edited by msn Of soured and disappoint-
cd temper; whether they think they will sell
their papers by making them bitter, and sneak.
ing, and vulgar; or whether there be something
80 arid in the field Of religious Journalism that
thoss who cultivate II fall back for excitement
sake ca personalities, We cannot tell Nor can
we undertake 10 apportion among the various
religious paper. The share which belongs TO each
in the odium which their coutse deserves. We
are not blind-wben VIC speak OF meanness aud
malignity-to TIE eminent claims Of such papers
rs the Church-1c7 aud the OJssrrer: but they have
emuous and progressive rivals in the cultivation
Of these peculiar virtues: aud perhaps we ought
not to advertise any, whtre all deserve the same
treatment.
One thing lie certain: if the religious papers
Of New York continue to prosper, as they have
done, the cause OF true religion will decline
Christianity cannot gain adherents when its out
ward and visible signs, az developed in its or
gans, are the unfeitered indulgence Of the bascst
passions Of human nature.
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