Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-02-19
Gureka Dailp 9entinfl.
,uNDAY. FEBRUARY 10, 1882.
TaE RIGHT OF CRITICISM.


The Carson Tribune pitches into its
contemporary, the Carson Index, for re-
producing an article from the Eureka
SENTINEL, in which a sermon by one of
the Carson ~clergymen to the State Prison
convicts was criticised. The Tribune,
speaking Of the clerical gentleman re-
ferred to, rays he impresses everyone
who meets him that he is a sterling
Christian. This no doubt is true. 1t is
q fair presumption without the Tribune's
voucher. The goodness Of the preacher,
however, does not place him and his
sermon above public criticism. Any man
who makes himself conspicuous as a
teacher of the people, especially ii
he puts himself in the attitude of their
servant, by accepting their pay for his
services, lays himself liable to criticism
from any citizen. Himself and his acts
are legitimate subjects Of comment.
When the State Of Nevada pays a preacher
IS for a sermon, he should not be Of
Tended if the newspapers look upon that
amount as a sufficient consideration to
him paid to entitle them to take his
scalp if they think he fails to respond
with value received.
The money worth OF a sermon may be
set down as an indeterminate quantity;
still, it may be discussed with propriety.
1t is speculative, and may yet be de-
termined by a gauge set upon it in the
advance of scientific investigation. Some
sprightly genius may devise a means,
some day or other, to fix the comparative
coin value Of sermons. When the States
preacher addresses her convicts as young
gentlemen" the legitimate inquiry is sug-
gested, how much is his ~preachment
worth with that opening! Whether its
value is So, or 800, or O, is a problem
upon which the community may exer-
else themselves on, or not, as they please.
At any rate, they are entitled to a report
of what sort of sermons they OCCASION
ally pay S. for. The SENTINEL reporter
10 a cheerful man and appreciative OF
whatever is good and worthy, and moth
ing pleases him more than to speak kind
words of those who render valuable
services to their con %stituency. He would
have been delighted to say, if he had
been able to do SO Faithfully, chat three
Sundays ago, the Rev. Fairbairn, the
resident Presbyterian clergyman of Car
son, gave the Jail. birds a sermon that
would do them some good; that he is a
man of great force as a talker to the
masses and learned in ethics. But he
could not say this Of Mr.. Fairbairn, who
impressed him as q very weak brother as
an expounder Of the Word, and next to
useless az . moral teacher. He spoke of
the preacher as he saw him, as a man of
e~xtravagant, meaningless gestures and
hollow words.
And here we come upon the point and
purpose Of this article. Nobody in Ne
vada cares for the pay Of S. a week
among the not too well supported clergy
Of the Capital. There is a disposition in
this State to lean kindly towards the
gentlemen Of the cloth Of oil denemina-
tions. More than this even. there 10 no.
body in the State who could be found to
demonstrate against the payment of IS
out of the public treasury, per Sunday.
for sectarian purposes. although this pay
ment is plainly unconstitutional, for
which reason it will be remembered the
orphans of Virginia City have been ig.
nored as benefciaries Of the State. The
insignifcanoe Of the amount precludes
criticism on this score. What the SEN
TrNEL wants to get at is this. That pri-
vate persons and their doings, unless of
public notoriety, are exempt from news.
paper criticism; while public persons and
their acts are legitimate topics of fair
discussion. And it may be allowed to
say, in the way Of a sermon for itself
this Sunday morning, that it would
greatly serve to promote the cause of
morality and religion if by its criticisms
the wheat could be winnowed from the
chaff in pulpit work generally. Relig-
ionists ought to see that the great draw
back in their labors to improve the moral
condition Of society is the incompetency
Of many Of their teachers. A sharp
criticism Of such childish sermons as are
sometimes inflicted upon q congregation,
who are. for the time, as much prisoners
as the convicts within the walls of the
State Penitentiary, is a bit of wholesome
discipline if received in the spirit in
which it is meant, and digested with that
sense Of meekness and charity which the
Son Of Man labored so hard to inculcate
into his flock, and which he sent his dis
ciples abroad to teach in all parts Of the
earth.