Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-11-15
Praising the Newspaper.
WHAT MR.. TALMAGE TOLD THE BROOK
LYN TABERNACLE PEOPLE SUNDAY.

| L1N TAbEHNACLE PEOPLE SUNDAY.
"What shall preacher do when b,
has two texts, either of which is equally
good?' asked Mr.. Talmage in mil(
tones at the beginning of his discourse
in the Brooklyn Tabernacle Sunday
morning. 1t had been announced tina
he would discuss, 1.-The Character O
American Newspapers In my per-
plexity,' continued Mr.. Talmage, an
swering his own question, L will take
them both: And the wheels we're full
of eyes. Ezekiel, X: IL. For all the
Athenians and strangers which were
there spent their time in nothing else
but either to tell or to hear some new
thlng.'IActs, xvii: 81" Resting his
left elbow on his right hand and shak-
ing his index finger at his audience,
which filled every seat In the edifice. he
inquired. What but the wheels of the
printing machine can see?' The wheels
of the labor-performing machinery, he
said, ground bone and sinew, and the
sewing machine caused aches sharper
than the needle that 1t piled. The eyes
of the printing press were both near and
far sighted, and saw all things. Turn
ing to the second text, Mr.. Talmage
said: In Athens the great question, as
now, was, whats the newsH China
first answered the question. There
was now issued in Pekin paper that
had been published weekly for 1000
years, which first made its appearance
printed on silk. In America BENJAMIN
Harris began the publication of Public
Occurrences in 1890. The first daily
was in Philadelphia in 1884, and bore
the name the american D0iLy Adverti-
ser. Just as soon as the newspaper
began to demonstrate its purpose ex-
claimed Mr.. Talmage, as he strobe
across the rOstrum and threw out his
right arm like an extension gas. fixture,
the powers shackled it. In Russia,
which l regard as the most tyrannical
Government on the face of the earth,
the newspapers are fettered. Austria
could not bear the pleading for Hunga-
ry's freedom. Napoleon, who wanted
to keep his foot ON the neck of nations,
said every editor ought to be in prison.
Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the De-
claration of Independence, said: If L
were to choose between a country with.
out newspaper or newspaper without
a country, I should take the latter
Mr.. Talmage thanked God for the ev.
erlasting blessing of the printing press,
and said that a good newspaper was the
greatest temporal blessing given the
people. One paper, statistics showed,
died every day, and generally three or
four fortunes were spent in establishing
a paper on a paying basis. 1t was usu-
ally the case that the older papers alb.
sorbed the younger ones, like one whale
fifty minnows. The aver
age life of newspaper was five years,
70 Io
only thirty papers had reached the age
of fifty years. The newspaper made
knowledge democratic. knowledge is
the lift of life.' shouted Mr.. Talmange,
as he grasped handful of air and
threw the invisible missile with all his
force toward the crowded gallery. He
said that all the great authors made
their beginning In the newspapers
The Bible, Webster's Dictionary and
good newspaper fit a man for this life
and the happiness of the next The
newspaper that printed the best and
most beautiful side of life was character
lied as misrepresentation. Sin is
loathsome make it SO; virtue is beauti-
fui-Ihake it sop Mr.. 'Talmage urged
that impersonality should be dropped,
and sroke of the time when leading
editorial writers used to affix their ini-
tials to their articles. If 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 thu bad things. The
universities, Mr.. Talmage believed,
should have departments for the train
ing of editors and reporters. L declare
that the mightiest force for good is
good newspaper and for bad bad news
paper Here the speaker advanced to
the front of the platform, and, extend
tian newspaper will be the right wing
of the Apocalypric angel, and the print
ing press will be the front wheel of the
Lords chariOt.U