Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-12-03
TALMAGE ON THE NEWSPAPER.

in Brooklyn Tabernacle, ''The Charac-
ter of American Newspapers"
s.What shall preacher do when he
has two texts, either of which is equally
goodp" asked Mr.. Talmage in mild
tones at the beginning of his discourse.
sin my perp.exlty," continued MIR. T.,
answering his own question, 81 will
ta Ike them both: 'And the wheels were
iull OF ey s,'-Ezekiel, K. :12. sFor all
the Athenians and strangers which |
were there spent their time in nothing
else, but either to tell or hear some new
thing Acts, xvii. H." Resting his
lett elbow on his right hand,
aud shaking his index finger at bis au-
dience, which filled every seat in the
ed,fice, he inquired: "What but the
wheels of the printing machine can
see ?" The eyes OF the printing press
we're both near and tar-sighted, aud
saw all things. Turning to the second
text, Mr. Talmage SAID: "ln Athens
the great question, ,as now, was. "Wh hats
the news?" China first answered the
question. There is now issued in
Pekin paper that had been published
weekly tor l 900 years. which first made
it's appearance printed on silk. In
America Benjamin Harris began the
publication of Public Occurrences IN
1890. The first daily was issued In
Philadelphia in 1884, and bare the name
the American Daily Advertiser. !"
..Just as soon as the newspaper beg an
to demonstrate its purpose" exclaimed
Mr.. Talmage, as he strobe across the
rostrum and threw out his right arm
like an extension gas fixture, ''the pow
ers shackled it. In Russia. which re-
gard as the most tyrannical govern
ment on the face OF the earth, the news
papers are fettered. Austria could mol
bear the pleadlugs for Hungarr's tree
dom. Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the
declaration of independence, SAID: ~
were to choose between couhtrI
, without a newspaper or newspaper with
, out country. l should take the latter
! MIR. Talmage thanked God for the ever
lasting blessings of the printing press
and said ..there is nothing that despot
4 ism hates as it does newspapers. EveI
! Napoleon L. SAID that the only safe piac
n to keep the editors was in prison. /
filthy newspaper IS curse, but goo
- newspaper is blessing. Thank 10
the wheels are full Of eyes, A goo
: newspaper is the grandest tempors
:, blessing that God has given this cour
+ try. s'The newspaper made knowledg
q democratic. acknowledge IS the llgt
Il of life," shouted Mr.. Talmage, as b
" " grasped q handful OF air and threw ID
e invisible missile with all his force to
o ward the crowded gallery. He said thu
y all the greatest authors made their o.
7, ginning in the newspapers. The new
>. paper that printed the best and mo
o beautiful side of life was characterize
n as a Misrepresentation. ''Sin is loatl
lu some-make 1t so; virtue Is beautiful
ii make it so?" Mr.. Talmage urged tn
lmpersonality should be dropped, .!
smoke of the time when leading edltorl
writer's used to affix their Initials
. articles. If such an idea were in vog'
g. at this time the writers would get q
K credit for all the good things they wro
ck and would be held responsible Tor
no the bad things. The universities, "
he Talmage believed, should have dspal
+ menLs for the training OF editors and
We porters. 81 declare that the mightit
oy force OF good is good newspaper
rts for bad a bad newspaper" Here I
ZEE speaker advanced to the front OF
m platform, and. extending his arms,
claimed: The christian newspaI
will be the right wing oI tne ApoootJ
tic angel, and the printing press will
the front wheel OF the Lords char 10
Speaking OF the popular tallacy Il
,o s'auybody can edit newspaper,
he, thus pointedly expresses himself:
W. The theory that everybody can mi
-, ,, a newspaper success is often dlsastro
u, Three or four fortunes are often 8"
~ ~ lowed up before people are convin'
S' that brains are required to conduc
,,u journal. Although there are se'
Icy thousand dailles, only thirty-six
nh., halt century old. The average
.he e newspaper life is five years. Mos
them die OF cholera infantum. An 9
.ro or must be an encyclopedias. M
10 Qualities are needed tor au editor t
in any other business. l say this to 8
W, men IRON bankruptcy, men who tn
! ~ ~, that without experience they can ru
10. newspaper Such men had better thr
osb their pocket books into their wife's
y, .e 90 and rush to Bloomingdale asylum.
%; %; newspaper is tunnel TO br1ng
waters of knowledge to the people.
rt bible, Webster's dictionary and
IL newspaper-these fit men tor this
~; and the next.