Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-11-12
The secular Press.

The Rev. t. Dewitt Talmage
preached an eloquent sermon, at
his Brooklyn Tabernacle, on last
Sunday morning on the secular
press. We give below a short syn
opsis of his sermon which bristles
with sound sense and truth, his
text was:
"And the wheels were full of
eyes," Ezra x. 13, and "FOr the
Athenians and strangers which
were there, spent their time in
nothing else but either to tell or
hear some new things" Acts xvii.
q. The speaker alluded to the an
tiquity of newspapers and said that
the first to answer the cry, "What
is the news ?'' was China, where,
one hundred years ago in Pekin, a
journal was printed on silk. After
narrating the establishment of the
first newspapers in Boston, in 1851, f,
and in Philadelphia, in 1884, the
speaker added that the newspaper
did not suddenly spring on the
world, it came gradually. The
circular begat the pamphlet, the
pamphlet the quarterly, the quar-
terly the monthly, the monthly
the weekly, the weekly the daily /;
but Just as soon as a newspaper be-
gan to demonstrate its power it was
shackled. "Useless, useless, use
less 7" exclaimed Talmage. "There
is nothing that despotism hates as
it does newspapers. Even Napole-
on /. said that the only safe place
to keep editors was in prison. If L
had to choose between a government
without newspapers and newspa-
pers without government l would
choose the latter. A filthy and sour
riIous newspaper is curse, but
good newspapers are a blessing.
Thank God that the wheels are full
of eyes. A good newspaper is the
grandest temporal blessing that God
has given this country"
Mr.. Talmage next alluded to the
prevailing impression that anybody
can edit Newspaper. Said he:
"The theory that everybody can
make a neWpaper a success is often
disastrous. Three or four fortunes
are often swallowed before people
are convinced that brains are re-
quired to conduct journal. The
large swallow the small. Although
there are 1000 dailies, only 36 are
half a century old. The average of
newspaper life is five years. The
most of them die of cholera 1nfan-
tum. An editor must be an ency-
clopedia. More qualities are needed
n
business. / say this to save men
from bankruptcy. Men who think
that without any experience they
can run a newpaper, have soften1ng
of the brain. Such men had better
throw their pocketbOok's into their
wife's lap, and rush up to Bloom
ingdaIe asylum. (Laughter.) News
papers are a tunnel to bring out the
waters of knowledge to people; the
Bible, Webster's dictionary, and
good newspapers fit man for duties
of this world and the next" Mr..
Talmage advocated a personal
conduct for newspapers. He said
that many men wrote brilliant ar
ticles, but their names were never
known. He believed that articles
of merit should be signed by the
authors name and predicted that
such a course would yet be adopted
"In that time," said he, "they will
get credit for all the good they write.
Suppose a mans character is as
sailed, who is responsible? It's
concealed in the editorial we"
He further advocated editorial
and reportorial departments in col
leges and institutions of learning
as means of fitting men for positions
on newspapers.