The sun., 1878-01-29
Beecher on Newspaper Writers.

Mr. BrE,HER took occasion ON Sunday To |
find fault with the reporters of the news
papers because their summaries OF his ser
MONS according to him, sometimes inisrep-
resent what he actually said 1t may be
true that by not giving all his words pre-
csely as he uttered them they have occa-
sunally done the preacher slight injustice,
but such slips, So far as we have observed,
have been few and really unimpOrtant.
What was uf more Significance In his re-
marks was his inference that when the
daily newspapers write about religious SUBJ
iect- they handle themes they don't under
stand MY impression" he said, "is that
the writer's for the New York daillcs' have
not had very strict religious education.
There are one or two papers In New York
that are 80 anxious on the subject OF Chris
tinn disposition that they give their whole
influence To save il from danger but IN
general, think may say that the training
Of the gentlemen who conduct that paper
has not been theological" At these words
the brethren laughed. as they are wont to
do when BERcHER says something IN way
they think funny.
But what Is there funny in the dcclara-
| tiun from Christian pulpit that our news
paper writer's are irreligious men IL II Is u
fact that they are So then there Is reason
Tor sorrow rather than merrinlent III the
churches II men who have not had strict
religious education and who are not gov
erncd 10y Christian principle, do the writing
for our journals. then they can and must
accomplish II great deal " harm. They
wcd IL wide influence, and II II IL a bad in
stead Of u good one as II must be II they
are without religious restraints, instead OF
laughing over the matter, professcd Chris
tians would do well to think seriously how
they can Offset 40 grave an evil
AZ to the theological training of the con-
ductors Of our newspapers. that Is something
of very little account. \ man of common
sense, who is capable OF understanding an
argument and seeing point, and who Is In
| formed as t. religious doctrines ana their
history. may be entirely competent 10 dis
cuss the subjects taught by the theological
professors. He does not need To 20 to the
Divinity School at New Haven, Or to Ply
mouth Church To hear BEEcHER expound
the views of theology which may happen tc
come into his head There are other sources
Of information of much greater value
Moreover, the theology taught at those
places has been utterly and rightly dis
credited, because II has tolerated and sus
tancd free love, and suffered perjury anc
adultery to 20 unrcbuked and unconfessed
1t does not take theological training t,
enable man to see that the New Testament
expressly denounces those crimes, and tina
) they are entirely inconsistent with Chris
tian life.
. But BEEcHER maligns the newspaper writ
. ers Of New York when he makes them on
irreligious persons as u class. or cours
4 there are bad men among them, but gcner
a ally they do their work faithfully and con
, scientiously Ii was a few journals her
D and in other cities which defeated the pow
e erful effort Of Plymouth Church and its al
Il lies to hide his guilt and make religion
= cloak for his Righteousness. That ccrtain
; was good work TO do, and II was religion
i duty to perform IT, IT, instead OF condonn
j his offences, the Congregational Church ha
Il joined these newspapers IN sustaining III,
Il rality against immortality, and In requirin
Y that the Christian pulpit should be keE
Il clean. that denomination would be better y
Y than il is to-day.
Il II daily newspapers did not have 10 con
l. bat irreligion preaching religion from Pl!
mouth pulpit and hypocrisy Haunting itse
e there, their work in the spread Of soul
q moral and religious truth would be relieve
1t of u serious difficulty.