Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-01-15
A Sermon on Newspapers.

The following is an extract from a sermon on
newspapers by Rev. Brooke Herford, of Man
chester, England:
II cannot go (Mr. Herford begins) with that
celebrated saying Of Richard Golden, that
there is more to be learned from a sheet of the
Times than from all the histories ofThucydides.
Yet, for all that, [ hold their reading their
earnest and intelligent reading, mark you-as
one of the essentials of life Newspapers deal
primarily with the realms of humanity, and they
tell us what is going on in the realm ofthe pre-
sent time Is not this the primary requisite
for well-instructed life? Surely it concerns
us more closely to know about the world of man
than to know about the world of matter-to
learn what is doing in human history now than
what has been done in former times. Ofcourse
there must be great deal of triviality mixed
up with the story of human life of to day. This
is simply inevitable. Time sits out the petty
details and leaves the larger features more con-
splcuous; yet he is not wise man who is i'm
patient of all these details and sneers at news
papers because of them. 1t does not seem to
me to be true and healthy culture which draws
all man s thoughts to abstract science and re-
condite learning and leaves him ignorant of the
great conflicts in the world passing around him,
and impatient of the things which concern the
practical welfare of the society in which he lives
The worst OF it is, that this contempt for news
u
defect-a carelessness of the world and of man.
do not think this need be So There is moth
ing necessarily incompatible between deep
study in one special direction and warm in
terest IN what is going on In the living world
From this, as the centre, stretch out your
thought and interest and learning as far as you
like, back to the.childhood of our race, back
into old geologic periods if you will, or away to
the tiniest star that the telescope reveals, just
glistening on the farthest verge of space. But
tirst and underlying all, are man and the world
around you and-the newspaper
'And let me especially urge the reading of
newspaper as a distinct means of self culture
upon women. 1t may sound strange at first
but l think 1t almost more important to women
than to men, and for this reason: men, going
out into the world from day to day, are pretty
sure to be kept up to the level Of what is pass
ing in it, whether they read the paper or not
but it is not so with women. They, in their
quiet household life, may go on for weeks, hard.
ly hearing a word of what is passing in the great
world outside, and the little that they do hear
conveying no living meaning to them. think
this is a great evil. 1t not only narrows the
range of woman's S life, but she loses great deal
of the happiness which would come of intel
lectual lcompanionship and community ofinterest
with men-with afather, brother, or husband.
Is it not too often the case that the wife and
husband live, to some extent, In different worlds
of thought and interest? Part of this may be
attributed to man incommunicativeness, but
part of the cause lies deeper 1t is because
women are so seldom educated to take an in
terest in what is going on in the world around
them, and so are unable without tedious ex-
plantations to enter into the news which each
week brings from every quarter of the globe. I
would put it to women not to depend on the
explanations and comments of men, generally
given, when.at all, in brief phrases, but to read
the newspaper as a distinct, and, to them espe.
cially, an important part of the select culture.
And read it Alright, not by voting politics and
foreign news bore, but by keeping an open
eye and an understanding mind for the passing
history of nations and the great interests which
are stirring the heart of the world. There are,
on the other hand, things in the world, and
they are related in newspapers, which are not
calculated to enlarge the mind, but minister,
instead, to gossipping, morbid curiosity, and
sometimes, indeed, to arouse depraved feelings.
But newspapers reflect alike the worlds light
and its shade. To the pure all things are pure,
while the impure will find everywhere things
which will make him more impure. There are
some who go through the world like vultures,
looking out for garbage and corruption; they
will find it In newspapers, as they will find it
everywhere"