Smyrna times., 1881-11-16
Praising the Newsnaner.
WHAT Mr.. TALMAGE TOLD THE BRo0KTy<
TABERNACLE PEOPLE SUNDAY
. What shall q ,roool,ou L.

What shall preacher do wbar bo hoe
/ two texts, either Of which iseouaIIv good y;
asked Mr. Tallnage in mild tones M tho
beginning of his discourse in the Brooklvn
tabernacle Sunday morning. II had hcen
announced that he would discuss The
Character OF American Newspapers" I'm
my perpleXlty, continued Mr.. Talma"o
| answering his own question. Il will take
tnem both: And the wheels. were full
oI eyes. Ezekiel, X: -. For all the
Athehlans and strangers which were there
spent Their time in nothing else, but either
10 tell or to hear some new thing.-Acts
XVII: u. Resting his left elbow on his
right hand and shaking his index finger
al ms audience, which filled every seat in
the editce, he inquired What but the
wheels OF the printing machine can scep"
The wheels of the labor-performing ma
chlnery, he said, ground bone and sinew
ana the sewing-machine caused aches
sharper than the needle that it piled. The
eyes OF the printing press were both near
and far sighted, and saw all things Turn
ing to the second text. Mr.. Talmapc said
In Athens the great question, rs now.
was What's the news?'" China fir,t
answered the question. There was now
issued IN Pckin a paper that had been
puOlshed weekly for 1000 years. which
ilrst made its appearance printed on silk.
In America Benjamin Harris began the
publication of Public Occurrences in 1890
Inc hrst daily was issued in PHILADELPHIA
IN llo+, and bore the name the american
Ddtty ddcerttser. Just as soon as the
newspaper began to demonstrate its pur-
pose; exclaimed Mr. Talmage, as he
StrOue across the roStTum and threw out
1CTh ~ | ilrsar
the powers shackled it. In Russia
which | regard as the most tvrannical
Governments on the face of the earth
the newspapers are fettered. Austria
could not bear the pleadings for Hungarv,s
freedom. Napoleon. who wanted TO kccn
his foot on the neck of nations said eycrv
editor ought to be in prison. Thomas
Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of
independence, said: - If We're to choose
between country without a newspaner
or newspaper without a country. L shonld
lake the latter" Mr.. Talmage thanked
GOD tor the everlasting blessing of the
printing press, and said that q g00G news
paper was the greatest temporal blessing
gwen the people, One paper, statistics
showed, died every day, and generally
three or four fortunes were spent in estab-
hshlng n paper on a paying basis. 1t was
usually the case that the oldest papers ab-
sorped the younger ones, like one whale
swallowing fifty minnows. The average
lie OF newspaper was five years, and in
the United States and Canada ONLY 30
papers had reached the age of fifly wears.
lhe newspaper made knowledge demo-
cratic: knowledge is the light of Ii G."
shouted Mr.. Talmage, as he grasped a
handful Of air and threw the invisible mis-
slle with all his force toward the crowded
gallery. Tie said that all the great authors
made their beginning in the newspapers.
The Bible, Webster's Dictionary and
good newspaper fit g man for this life and
the happiness of the next" The news
paper that printed the best and most beau
tltul side OF life was characterized as a
misrepresentation. Sin is loathsome-
make it so; virtue is beautifuI-make it
SO Mr.. Talmage urged that imperson-
allty should be dropped, and spoke of the
time when leading editorial writers used
to affix their initials to their articles. IfI
such an idea were in vogue at this time
the writers would get the credit for all the
good things they wrote and would be held
responsible for all the bad things. The
universities, Mr. Talmage believed, should
have departments forthe training of editors
and reporters. II declare that the might
lest force for good is a good newspaper
and for bad bad newspaper" Here the
speaker advanced to the front of the plat
form, and, extending his arms, exclaimed
The Christian newspaper will be the
right wing of the Apocalyptic angel. and
the printing press will be the front wheel
of the Lords chariot"