The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-17
The Sun as a Pulpit.

II Is cause Of much pleasure to us that
THE SUNS articles ON religion have awaken
ed 50 widespread an interest among our
readers. We never expected that we should
80 speak us to secure unanimous assent.
There are no differences 50 marked as those
in matters of religion. and there are none
which are maintained with SO much pas
sion
Hence 1t is that our journals fear TO touch
religious questions. lest they shall stir up
animOsitcs which will react TO their dam
age. Such fears, however. do not disturb
Us, for we treat religion in its broadcst
sense. without any regard to denominations
al metcs and bounds and not seeking to in
tcrfcrc with the professional thcologians.
Ourduty Is to stir up all churches and sccts
TO preach and practise the great law of
righteousness which Is the corner stone of
religion, and without which crccds and GER
emonics are IA sounding brass and tink-
ling cymhal. The man who objects to such
teachings Is a fool. whom We do not care to
have numbered among the readers of The
Sun.
Religion may he treated 50 scnsihly and
50 clearly. and with SO much force. that the
subject will interest everybody, or it may
be presented in way to disgust or weary
many minds. OF all the themes about which
We can think or write, there is none so i'm
portant a. this, and none which requires
that the man who presents it shall be so
sure in his own mind that he Is speak ing
Alright
No intellectual powers can be so strong
aud brilliant that they must not stand in
awe before the solemn mysteries OF mans
being, his future. and his Accountability.
Yet large part of the current religious
writing is poor and feeble stun, work per-
formed in n pcriunctory way. and lacking
the ring Of really sincere convictions. II is
| tiresome reading, the product of intellectual
Incidence, not Of minds seriously impressed
| 10y the gravity of the subject, and the need
Of bringing to its discussion an open mind
and the best abilities in the possession OF
| the writer.
Take them "a class. the religious news
papers 50 called. boar no sort oi comparison
with the secular press in the matter Of the
quality Of the literary work presented. They
are also full Of cant aro largely occupied in
harassing their sectarian opponents, and
too often make mere merchandise OF re-
lgion. II is we'll known that They have long
sold their reading columns TO advertisers.
JAY COOKIES Northern Pacific swindle owed
much Of its success 10 the religious papers,
to which he paid vast amounts Of money.
al through New England the worthless
hond- of the Northern Pacific were placed
among pious church members, widows.
ministers. deacon-, aud teachers, and they
put their confidence in them because their
religious newspapers called them good.
The religious discussions in these papers
are apt TO be weak and narrow-mindcd.
the work Of inferior men. Such writ
ing rs Occupies a large part Of thcir
! space could never get in IA journal like
The SUN or any other daily newspaper OF
high class. 1t is the product Of habbv
thought, is full Of water, and often vicious
in style. \ continued course n such intel
lectual diet Is Injurious To the mind just
a. strong intellectual food builds it up and
give. il vigor. We think it may Ice safcly
AZ serted that the religious newspaper press
ia rather a damage than 4 help to the cause
of true religion.
II therefore becomes all the more impor-
tant for The Sun To give frequent aud prom
incnt attention TO religious topics Take
our circulation rs whole, and If far exceeds
that of the combined religious papers of New
York. We can thus, by the straightf0rWurd,
earnest. aud reasonable presentation ~ re-
ligious truth, perform a work from which II
would be utterly wrong for ~ 10 d,-i-t
Whore one man actually reals and digo,,'
an article IN Those papers. ten men road AND
profit 10y an article la THE Sun Hence W.
shall continue to enforce the lessons of re-
l-;ion with spirit and with Nig,r. In th'