The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-26
THE NEWSPAPER.



It's Immense InAnenee for Good or Evil.
SERMON BY REV. DIR. HUNTER, OF CHICAGO.
From no possible investment is there
such an adequate return as from the
subscription price of good newspaper.
You may have been deprived of the ad-
vantages Of an early education, but, if
you are constant reader of the papers,
the deficiency will be largely supplied.
1 will take step in advance of this. /
know of no class of men. except some of
my less-fortunate brothers in the
ministry, who work so hard, and are so
inadequately remunerated as newspaper
men. A distinguished clergyman of
this country, who has had some expert
ence as a writer and an editor, says |:
"Many OF them go unrested and unap-
preciated to premature graves to have
the 'proof-sheet of their life corrected
by divine mercy, glad at last to escape
the perpetual annoyances of fault-fnd-
ing public, and the restless, impatient
cry for more copy"
Now, having said this much to show
my appreciation of newspapers and
of those who contribute to their success,
I want to look at this subject from an
other standpoint of responsibility.
A newspaper is a two-edged sword. It
cuts both ways; it is powerful for good
or for evil. 1t is absolutely impossible
to overestimate the responsibility of the
managers aud editors of great
paper which finds its way to every
quarter of the globe, and is admitted to
the homes of half continent. The
King on his throne yields not power
which stretches 80 far and wide; the
philosopher with all his skill in the de-
velopment of mind and matter exerts no
influence that compares with his whose
words are every day addressed to the in
tellect and heart. He may inculcate
truth, purity, virtue, morality, integrity,
patriotism-al those principles which
underlie national greatness and individ-
ual character. He may come as an aux
Hilary to parents, Sunday-school teach
ers, and all moral reformers. He may
guard and defend the sanctity of the
home, liberty of conscience and of
speech, the rights of citizenship and the
claims of Governments. He may inhu-
ence legislation and largely direct the
destiny of nations. In short, there is
no subject affecting the best interests of
mankind which he may not discuss and
press upon the attention of his world
wide constituency. The more we reflect
,~lana1 OF
the disposal of a man like ourselves, with
human frailtes and infirmities, the more
are we appalled, at the magnitude of his
responsibility. Tremble we editors
when we sit down to write, and lift your
hearts to heaven, in silent prayer to God
for wisdom and direction.
Our words spoken in the pulpit are
not always caught up and printed. If i'll
advised and mistaken, they may pass
away as tale that is told but the edi-
tors words are written with an iron
pen and lead on the rock forever" They
may be translated into a hundred lam
guages, quoted by authors, preserved in
scrap-books, and form human character
and eternal destiny when the hand that
wrote them lies motionless in the grave.
History records not the name of the
author of that child's praye-, "Now, 1
lay me down to Sleep" ETC., but his in
fluence will never die; for that simple
prayer is nightly repeated by millions of
children, and is called to memory in the
haunts of dissipation and in the fever
ward of the hospital and on the field of
battle; and it brings back the thought
of mother and home and Bible, and leads
the wanderer to penitence and to Christ.
The man who can fling great thought
from his pen into the heart of humanity
sets in motion train of influences which
only the trumpet of the archangel will
arrest. And never, until editors OF news
papers come to realize in some measure
their responsibility to man and their ac-
countability to God, shall we have a
pure and purifying press. And L want
to say right here that the great law OF
society, the law of demand and supply
must determine the character and regu
late the conduct Of the public press IL
any country.
If we are to have heightened press
there must be a heightened public senti
ment demanding it, and hence it is tina
this subject concerns us ali, and is emf
nently worthy this sacred hour and place
The law of the spiritual kingdom is tina
divine grace begins i'm the heart ant
' works outwardly upon the life and con
duct, but the reverse of this is true o
the body polite. Reform here Begin
3 at the circumference and works to thu
r center. A Legislature may enact thu
9 most wholesome laws, but, without
g public sentiment to approve and enforc
them, they will remain as dead lette
| on the statute-book, and be source o
3 weakness to the nation. Public sent
ment moving from the circumference
: to the center must dictate the Legislation
8 required, and, when it is granted ant
enacted by the Government, public sen
timent must sustain and enforce it. An
the same law will hold good In the cas-
of newspapers.
l. We have the political newspaper
Almost every paper has some politics