, 1873-04-06

tain how they may best right the wrongs OF
society, and successfully battle against the
wickedness Of the world. The general purpose
Of these weekly meetings is commendable. Il
would be strange, however, If some mistakes In
Judgment should not occur evon in an Assem-
blage Of divines. 1t one Of their recent meetings
the discussion fell upon the character aud
influence Of the daily presa- Had it taken q
practical turn, pointing out the disg1aces that
are tolerated and even promoted by certain
class Of newspapers, and suggesting p1nn
for counteracting the pernicious inau-
ences which these journalistic bandits
exert, the discussion would have been
timely and perhaps profitable. On the con-
trary. the most sweeping donunciahons were
hurled at all newspapers without distinction it
Was maintained that their demoraizing effects
were universal and entirely unimpeded by the in
huenco Of tho pulpit it was held that sermons
we're reported simply for the purpose of gaining
the ear OF the religious public and then pouring
poison into it !, it WAS suggested that reporters
should be excluded from Ill respectable places,
and especially from these ministerial gatherings
and it was finally proposed, IS the only available
means for breaking down this Antichrist, to
start religious daily, to be followed by other
religious dailies, and thus bring in higher
school OF journalism. It was clairned that it
was only necessary to secure capital Of 100000
to set the ball in motion and achieve complete
revolution in the newspaper world.
Without attempting any defense OF journalism
against this promiscuous onslaught, and certain
y without any purpose to defend the manifold
disgraces that distinguish certain grade Of
journalism, it may not be entirely useless to
point out some absu1dites to which the Metho-
dist ministers committed themselves in this dis
cuBsion. In the first place, their general propo-
sition was q confession OF weakness. II there
are 2o,ooo,ooo ehurch-going people in this coun-
ty, it is fair to presume that they constitute the
mass Of the reading public. II the journalism
Of to-day is universally as Objectionable az the
New York Methodist ministers would have Us
believe, the 10000, ,000 under direct religious in
struction must be largely responsible for tho
fact. The conclusion, then, ia either that the
press, as whole, is not SO much damoralized IS
it is represented to be, or that the church
es exercise but a feeble influence over.
their docks, We prefer to believe the
former. In either case, the credit or the
fault rests largely with, the people who
sustain the newspapers, and who, undoubtedly,
assist in shaping their character. In the second
place, it is very doubtful whether religious
daily would serve the purpose for which it is
proposed. The experience OF the past would say
not. The New York World was started as re-
ligious daily and failed There is q religious
daily now published in New York, under the pat
ronage Of Mr. ". E. Dodge, called the Witness,
which, VIC venture to say, few people in this part
OF the country ever heard Of, and whose circula-
ton ia very limited at home. The reason is
natural enough. A professedly religious newB-
paper recommends itself to special class, like d
real estate journal or q railroad Or manufac-
tuters' organ. II it we're possible to conceive Of
religious daily that would throw its liberal
mantle over Roman Catholic and E1etho-
dist, over Presbyterian and Unitarian, over
Baptist and Swedenborgian alike, and unite them
al in the common purpose Of making the News
paper serve the general cause Of morality, such
venture might command the support Of de-
voted people, but it would scarcely be placed
where 1t would do the most good. Moreover,
something besides e1oo,ooo, or 10000, or q
1arger Sum, is necessary to the establishment Of
an influential daily newspaper. It is exceedingly
doubtful whether jouVpal modelled after the
notions OF ministers Of the Gospel would be =
newspaper at a11. It is the life, and duty, and
pleasure of the clergy to look forward to the
life to come. Their thoughts, their writings,
their actions lie, ought to, in this direction. It
is their vocation to Lift up the people absorbed
in business Or engrossed in worldly pleasures to
the contemplation OF the future world "a much
Is possible. This is not the province Of news-
.psper, or, if so, only incidentally. The model
Newspaper is the history Of q day Of the worlds
doings with suitable comments thereon. This
is not the province Of religious journal.
An incident WAS cited in the ministerial discus
sion that pointedly presents the error which the
Methodist clergymep Of New York have COM
mitted- Ths Rev. DR.. Harris found young man
in the penitentiary for burglary, who had for:
merly been regular attendant Mt Sunday y-fchool,
When the burglar Vas asked how he came there,
be answered that he had gone to sunday-school
to learn to read aud to gain respectabiity, and
that he had then gone home to study an English
history Of thieves in thirty volumes. Tho in
ference intended to be conveyed was, that news
papers we're as bad as history Of thieves. and !
thus led to bnrglaries end to the penitentiary. !
The speaker failed to fix any responsibility On
the sunday-school, however, for teaching the boy
to read, and failing to confno his readings in q
proper channel. Is it probable that this Sunday
school scholar would have read the religious !
daily which is projected in preference to the his
tory Of thieves in thirty volumes2 The incident
rather shows that the ministers can do more
good by using their influence whero it belongs,
&1m-, f,r e,,}nr Ill ~R