The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-01-27
NEWSPAPER PRIZES.

Those who may have an opportunity of look
ing into religious journals North of Mason and
Dixon's line, must remark the extent to which
they enter into the prize business, as bats to pro-
cure subscribers If this is 10 be taken as a
mode and specimen of what is sometimes called
"Yankee enterprise" it must be admitted that
most of them are fairly alive with it, and it
would not be easy for us down in this quarter to
keep an even race. 1t is not our purpose to
make the attempt, having decided conviction
that our hands are full enough with the business
of Editor, without turning into the business of
a general trader
Some, however, of our Northern fraternity
keep themselves clear ofths jobbing business, and
administer now and then a somewhat caustic
application to those who practice it, as may be
seen from the following article clipped from an
exchange paper, and which we give for what it
is worth.-CEN. PREs.
Almost all of them offer enormous prizes
Of gold watches, jewelry, pianos, sewing ma
chimes, books, pictures, etc., to such persons
as will secure the greatest number of subscri-
oerS. Indeed the tempting announcements
of the religious press" seem far more like
lottery advertisements than like the honorable
methods Of dealing which such papers should
advocate and exempify. One hardly knows
which would be the most profitable invest
ments, hundred tickets in the Grand National
Swindling Company, or hundred subscrip-
tons to journal of "piety" Are these pa.
pers so poor, so little wanted, such terrible
| drug in the market that their managers are
| obliged to resort TO these adventurous aud de
moralizing ways to force them into circulation?
Aside from the very questionable morality
of this method of obtaining subscriptions. by
tantalizing prizes held just out of reach, we
question its expediency. Intelligent and ap
preciating people ask: is the article what
we want, and worth its price?" net, What
chance do we run of getting Webster's Una.
bridged, or Steinway's Unparalleled, &c?-
| What would these religious journals say should
a merchant attempt to bride customers, BY the
conditional offer of shares in copper mine.
or farm in Iowa? How can they condemn
lotteries and grab-bags, when they are trying
to rattle themselves into circulation.
1t would certainly seem that the only Chris
tan way OF getting patronage Of an intelligent.
| approaching public Is to make an article which
people want ana that is worth the buying
Make paper worth the taking, an intellectual
and moral force in society," aud, if well man
aged, 1t will not want for patronage If the
papers would put their gold watches, encyclo-
paedias, sewing machines, grand pianos, and
other costly premiums, into their columns
in the shape Of IDEAS broad and bright views
of life aud duty, learned dissertations, noble
living, scholarly criticisms of books and meas
ures and men; it they would make themselves
indispensable to the life of intelligent and cul
tlVated peODle bV the force of their advooo ov
of all that is good and true and noble, and by
the quality of their contributions to thought,
experience, and enjoyment, and, at the same
time, were managed in the spirit and by meth
DDS Of honorable Christian enterprise, they
would secure all the support they have any
moral right to expect or try for But what
are we to expect OF society at large when reli-
giouS papers, and churches too, are run upon
principles and by methods which would dis
grace green grocer or drive a broker from
the boarGY'