The New York herald., 1871-02-19
Secular Versus Religious Papers.

to the press, carries with it differences of mo-
rality as well as of news. There is o vague
idea in the minds Of many good people that a
religious paper should contain little else than
what may be found in some page or other of
the Bible, and that a paper which gives the
current news of the day from all parts Of the
world is necessarily and absolutely secular
paper, even though 1t may also contain as
much and sometimes better and more real,
genuine morality and religion than its religious
contemporaries, though not in such heavy
doses. The distinction is fast fading away,
and the religious community in this city Is
thinking and talking about the best means OF
in the spread Of Christian truth, and the con-
secration of that press to the cause of religion.
The last General Conference of the Methodist
Church appointed certain of its agents in this
city q committee, with discretionary power, to
abolish this distinction altogether by publish
ing daily religious paper whenever, in the
interim of four years, in their judgment, the
signs of the times should warrant the launch
ing of such an enterprise. This committee has
not yet seen the favorable indications and has
not made its venture. But, like great many
other problems in social, political and reli-
gious life, the HERALD is rapidly solving this
one for them, and by its frequent and exten-
sive publication of religious news is demon
strating the fact, hitherto hardly believed or
understood, that secular news is not more
Incompatible with religious news In q
first class daily paper than the union
of the highest type of Christian morals
and thorough business tact is in man.
But why snould such distinctions as ''secu-
lar" and religious" exist at all as regards
the press? Why must the people turn to one
class Of papers for the current news of the
world and to another class for the current
news Of the Church? Why seek the intellec-
tual and esthetical in one and the moral and
religious in another? We can readily con-
ceive of time when, and Of circumstances
under which, in the early history of the
religious press, such distinctions might arise,
and might, indeed, be necessary; but in this
advanced age we can hardly think of one good
or sound reason why such distinctions should
longer exist. For the past two or three years we
have endeavo0ed to lay before our million
readers in this land and in Europe, not the
concentrated thoughts or opinions of one or
two Christian ministers or laymen, done up to
order in UNCONVENTIONAL or sectarian packages,
as our religious contemporaries are wont to
supply, but the cream and the honey, the
strength and sweetness and variety of the
American pulpit, gathered at great expense
and furnished fresh for the morning meal. And
in this regard the HERALD is largely super
seding the religious weeklies and our daily
contemporaries, following our lead, are giving
greater heed than ever to tho demands of their
religious readers.
But we do more than this. Our columns
have also presented, and still present, from
time to time complete summaries Of religious
movements throughout the Old World and
interesting statistics of churches and religious
bodies in our own land, and more than one of
the religious papers of this city are indebted to
digest of religious news. Nor do we stop
here. In our editorial we review and COM
ment upon the work of the Church in all its
branches, freely and fearlessly, because we
are not bound by the silken or iron bands of
any sect or church; and our comments are
often more pertinent and pSphetic than are
those Of our clerical contemporaries. Not a
ripple can rise to the surface of society or the
Church anywhere without our notice. We
CLEAN our news, secular and religious, from
the four quarters of the globe, and, having
clothed it in beauty and impaired new life to
it, we send it forth again on its mission day
after day, fresh and varied, beautiful aud inte-
resting. Where, then, so far as the HERALD's
influence extends, is there a necessity any
longer for such distinction as we have
pointed out in this article? Solomon, the
wise King of Israel, once propounded a
conundrum, which we may repeat, giving also
its moral ALI the rivers run into the sea, vet
the sea is not full. But why not? Here is
the wise mans answer Unto the place from
whence the rivers come thither they return
again. Moral-The herald is the religious
sea from whence the weekly streams are fed,
and to which they return from time to time for
fresh supplies. They therefore give the reli-
gious public little that is new or original.
Indeed, we are very much inclined to believe
a remark made by an eminent divine recently
in our hearing, that religious papers have been
among the best agents of the devil in dividing
and sowing discord in the Christian Church
and in hindering the union of the several
denominations now so ardently wished and
prayed for by the purest and best minds every
where. If, therefore, we can In the least
degree supersede the religious press by the
''secular" we claim that we are doing some.
thing toward the consummation of the visible
as well as the spiritual unity of the Church Of
the Lord Jesus Christ on the Earth, and are
bo staining tho cominp Of Hia kinodou for