The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-01-24
GheGttelIigenter.
Ecelesias,ical Literature.


Of public interest growing out oI the rath'
er exciting events and discussions which
have taken place for several days back In
Episcopal circles, the so.called ARTICLES
o. Religion" Of that Church, sometimes
called the "Thirty nine Articles" These
Articles, together with the communica'
tions that have appeared In our columns
in regard to the issues raised by Mr..
LATANE's letter, I'll out the full measure
OF week devoted pretty largely to Ec-
cleslastical literature. We are not sure
that any apology is needed ior sur
rendering SO much space to matters
of this character, inasmuch as we
incline to the opinion that newspapers
have nospecially defined sphere Of ques-
tIons which they may touch as distin-
guished from certain others that they
may not touch. All questions that inter.
est newspaper readers are, within certain
bounds, proper subjects OF newspaper
publication. And certainly such issues
as are now under discussion in the EpIs.
copal Church throughout the Christian
world do very deeply interest large
humber Of people in=and out OF that par.
ticular denomination. This is an age in
which things that were formerly heard
only in secret arc proclaimed on the
house.tops, in conformity with the in
junction given TO the Apostles at the
outset The functions Of the daily press
have come to be so admittedly universal
that its columns are looked 10 for infor.
nation upon all subjects, such as religion,
politics, business, literature and every.
thing that concerns mans temporal or
eternal interests. The daily press brings
every work into judgement" in certain
sense, with every secret thing, whether
il be good or whether 1t be evil" 1t has
come to compete with the pulpit to very
considerable extent. The great papers Of
New York and other large cities spread
the sermons Of scores Of preachers before
tens OF thousands Of readers every
Monday morning. The numbers who
hear these sermons delivered on
Sunday are the merest nothing as
compared with the multitudes who see
them in print on Monday. These sermons
are not only published but they are often
discussed by the papers, that is when they
contain matters Of special importanCe-as
for instance those touching upon the
Cummins movement. The people at large
were never so widely instructed in eccle-
siastical matters as within the last few
years. HENRY WARD BEKcnER is known
to the world through the columns OF the
daily press. His sermons and lecture.
room conversations would have had
very limited reputation indeed had 1t not
been tor the "wings of the wind" that
were given them in the New York
papers. And as it is on a large scale
in New York, 80 1t is on a smaller
scale in the smaller cities. Nearly
all live newspapers contain more or
less Of fresh ecclesiastical discussions.
They find thatit is subject that interests
their readers quite as much as certain
lines of temporal topics. And why
should It'll not2 The great problems of lie
and death, the here and the hereafter,
can never fail to awaken frequent and
deep reflection in intelligent minds.
This is an age Of the world, as we all
know, when great minds are
"Yearning with desire
TO follow knowledge, like sinking star.
Beyond the utmost bound Of human thought"