The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-01-29
The New York HeraId-The Churches and
Religious Reform.

HERALD conceived and gave shape to the idea
that the churches came fairly within its scope
as great reflector of world life-that the
churches were as much entitled to reportorial
and editorial attention as the theatres, the
preachers as the actors, the sermons as the
plays or the lectures. During all this period,
while as rule the Sunday HERALD has con-
tanned solid, practical, non-sectarian dis
course, the Monday HERALD has reproduced
the church services and sermons of the pre-
vious day, the surrounding country and the
other great cities of the Union sometimes
receiving as much attention as New York
ITSELF Our reporters are everywhere devout
and attentive worshippers, and not unfre-
quently, at great expense, sermons delivered
in Saratoga, at Washington, at Baltimore, on
Sunday, have seen reproduced in the HERALD
Of Monday.
In carrying out our purpose we have been
catholic in the true sense; we have frowned
upon none, but favored all. Romanists, Epis-
copalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Bap-
lists (Hard Shell and Soft SHELF, Unitarians Of
all types, Free-lovers, Jews, Mormons, all
bad fair share of our attention and of our
columns. 1t was not unnatural that an idea
so original should take with the general public,
and that our contemporaries, filed with envy
and jealousy, should become eager imitators
up to the limit of their ability. The Monday
HERALD became the rage from New York to
San Francisco, from Maine to Mexico. From
the most distant centres of population COM
plants are constantly being received that
Monday HERALDs cannot be had in sufficient
numbers to supply the great and growing de-
mand. 1t has pleased us to find that clergy
men of all denominations have enrolled them
selves in the list of our subscribers, and we
have before us while we write many letters
from clergymen Of all shades of religious
opinion, heartily endorsing our plan, acknow-
Lodging obligations and accepting the HERALD
as the great religious newspaper Of the age.
Such being the case we can afford to laugh at
some of our contemporaries, who, after vain
endeavors to follow in our footsteps, attempt
to find comfort in defeat by sneering at our
enterprise.
1t is not our intention to abandon an under
taking which has already been crowned with
so much success, and which promises to be SO
productive of great, general and lasting good
to the whole American people and through
the American people to the world at large.
Not for the sake of filthy lucre, but for the
love of the good work, 1t is our fixed purpose
to make the HERALD more and more a
preacher of righteousness. The preachers
see and the people feel that we are not sup
planting the pulpit, but only making it more
thoroughly and generally useful. The preach
ers who themselves cannot hear sermons, ben
eft through our columns by the thoughts of
their brethren; the HERALD, in fact, has be-
come grand pulpit Help" and the Sunday
seAmons, through the same channel, are vir-
tually redelivered on the Monday to audiences
multiplied ten thousand fold. This, how
ever, is not all. 1t has long been the sin and
shame of Christianity that its votaries constitute
heterogeneous mass, wanting all visible
signs Of unity. The Book tells us that the
body of Christ is one and indivisible, that
schism is sin to be cautiously avoided, and
when committed to be severely punished and
it records for our benefit the prayer Of the
Master, that all His followers might be one
with Him, even as He is one with His Father.
In spite of all this, however, it is notorious
that, as compared with all existing religions,
Christianity is most torn into sects and parties.
That body which ought to be one, and which
must yet be one, is now divided into particles
numerous almost as the stars of heaven or as
the sands by the sea shore. And, what is worse
still, these particles are not attractive, but re-
pellant. The differing sentiments of Romanists
and Protestants are such as seriously disturb
the relations of political, social and domestic
life. Among the numerous Protestant scots
and parties the dividing lines may not be SO
broad, but they are scarcely less disturbing !;
and the whole tendency Of religious teaching
is to isolate more and more, not to bring to-
gether. Then, the numerous outlying religious
bodies are virtually s'excommunicate !"
How little Professionals of the various per-
suasions differed from each other, how much
Protestants and Romanists believed in COM
mon, now Ike all Bible religion Is to Itself,
the world hitherto has had no means Of know
ing. 1t was long the business Of the stage to
hold up the mirror to nature. A grander
mirror than the stage was found in the news
paper. But the newspaper mirror was either
not large enough or it was imperfectly held 50
long as it did not catch and reflect the rel-
gious life of the times. Our purpose has been
to make the mirror perfect, the reflection COM
plete. In our Sunday and Monday issues we
hold the mirror up to the churches we reflect
the religious life; and the result is that the
various religious bodies see themselves and
see all their neighbors, and, beholding, dis
cover how little each is unlike the other For
the first time in history it is known by the
common people that the moral and religious
Teaching ~ the JauU and tho Chriat;on NJ tho