The Portland daily press., 1865-12-05


A few DAYS since clergymen took eScep-
tions to the long leaders sometimes found
in the Press and other newspapers, suggest
ing that half or three fourths of a column Is
as much as persons of ordinary patience can
afford to wade through in reading morning
paper, and that articles of greater length I'M
less possessed of unusual attraction, ana OF
more than ordinary rim, defeat their own end
by escaping a careful reading altogether
We acknowledge the ''corn," and feel as Sc
riously impressed with the general truth and
Justice of his remarks as he can possibly him
SELF and we never write much longer article
without feeling that we owe an apology to the
reader, and seldom receive a much longer ar
ticle from correspondent without feeling that
he owes us an apology. Ordinarily we intena
to keep within these narrow limits; 10 walk
in this straight and marrow way whien leads
to the best life of a newspaper.
But we submit if the complaint oil prohxlty
comes with good grace, alaoays, from clergy
men. Do they not sin in this regard, if
not as often as the editor of daily paper,
at least as grieoously9 We think they do.
True. the time has gone by when clergyman
in his pulpit labors feels called upon to adopt
the "ten-hour SYSTEM" as it has when congre-
cations feel that religion requires them to sit
during the cold winter months in unwarmed
churches, on bare benches, with uncarpeted
floors or when choirs grind out psalm tunes
through their noses, with no accompaniment
save pitch-pipe or possibly violincello. But
the time has not gone by when clergymen feel
called upon, sometimes, to begin in every SER
mon at the rudiments, and give the history of
creation and Providence from the first human
pair down through the deluge, the dispersion
OF the ten tribes, the captivity and the chris
tian era, and to treat their congregation as
though all knowledge was confined to and
must flow out from the pulpit. The time has
not come when breyity in the pulpit is believ-
ed to be the sonl of devotion, as in other
things it IS the soul of wit, and when long,
tedious, prosy sermon is looked upon as a STUN
bling-block over which many poor sinner has
tumbled into spiritual poverty if not into per-
dition
Now we insist that on all ordinary occa-
sions, a sermon over half an hour or thirty
five minutes long, not only involves waste OF
time, but is worse than a waste; that it be-
comes tedious, and destroys the good effect
produced by the earlier efforts in the-same dis
course. We propose, therefore, as fair COM
promise, that if newspaper leaders are to be
cut down to half column, sermons shall be
IN, half Tot t1,o
study more, and either write less or crowd
more thought and force into small space. Let
his articles be concentrated intellectual pabU-
tam, and not compel his readers to waste
hours in staying their intellectual stomachs,
like horse fed only upon hay in satisfying the
cravings of hunger. 1t is said that an ami
mails food may be too much concentrated !;
that horse fed on corn alone will become
diseased, while mixture of straw to distend
the stomach would save him. A dog fed on
sugar alone will die; if the sugar be mixed
with saw-dust he will fatten upon it.
But we do not think any newspaper pabu-
lam is in danger from its too great concentra-
ton, of producing govt in the minds under-
standing, or of producing intellectual dyspep-
STA. Nor do we believe the sermons of the
sanctuary are any more likely to produce such
evils in the spiritual body. There is no need
of dilution. The milk for babes" may be
found in almost any of them, so that too
great concentration need not be feared by any
clergyman, even~sh should he compress into the
space of half an hour the thought and mat
ter ordinarily spread out through double that
space of time.
But we stop here. We commenced this an
ticle mainly with view to introduce capt.
tai extract from the Springfield Republican on
the value of short sermons, but having written
this much, we find the extract has been mis-
laid, so we are obliged to withhold it from our
readers, after ALL Perhaps it is well, for with
that added to this article, we should trans
gress the rule, and overstep the terms of the
compromise above proposed.