New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-04

disciple in New York or Iowa has to water such
a long succession of Boards, secretaries, clerks
missionaries and missionaries wives, chlldrch
and servants before its healing stream reaches
the poor heather in Burmah or Ceylon, thaC IL
is a very small drop indeed by the time IL
fairly gets to him. These objections have so
influenced the minds of believers of Late years
that their contributions have materially fallen
in quantity. But the mountain of unbeief has
come to MahOmet. "The present toreign-born
population of this country" it was stated
at the Baptist conference, "numbers
S,000,000," and to these missionaries are
sent, with zeal and unsparing hberallty.
Organized efforts are made systematically to
convert the Indians, Chinese, negroes, Nor
mons, Mexicans, Canadian French, Scandlna-
vians and Germans. AS proof of how COM
plete this organization is, there is normal
school in Chicago for the training of teachers
who are to go among the freedmen and Nor
mons. worldly observer might question the
necessity of special American missionaries
among some of these races; for example, the
moral harmless Canadian habitants, or the
prOyerbially dcvout Lutheran Swedes and Nor
wegians. But our good Baptist brethren prob
ably only desire to set them right on the
question of immersion, and so add capstone
to their virtues When, however, the actual
heather, in the shape of 100,0 Cinnamon.
are brought into our doors, ready for Christian
effort, 1t is q strange contradiction In any
member of the sect which has spent millions
on foreign missions to demand that they shall
be sent back, to wallow again in paganism.
The most important action in the Presby-
terrain Assemblies, Southern and Northern, was
the interchange of warm fraternal greetings be-
tween them. Before another year it Is to be
hoped the political discOrd between these re-
ligious bodies will have disappeared and that
they will follow the Christian example OF for
giveness already set them by the secular world
outside. In this connection the assault made
upon secular newspapers and periodicals In
both conventions is worthy OF notice. The
Presbyterian body somewhat vaguely de-
nounced them as full of "crude and danger
Gus doctrines, higher criticism, philosophical
speculation and so-called evolution" while
in the Baptist leading clergyman expressed
the. wish that call newspapers could be sup
pressed excepting the religious weeklies,"
and the newspapers of NewYork All Others
he wrote down as "sewers." We rejoice to
hear tlat the moral urdlildSc VI Now L YIN
daily literature is pure in the opinion
of so stern critic. 1t is no doubt
true that a good deal of filth is
disseminated by the daily press in
the shape of news but our observation leads
us to very different conclusions about their In
huence from those of this reverend brother.
The secular newspaper accurately reflects the
character of the intelligent public, and In
America that public in the main is decorous,
sensible, Just and GOd-fearing. There has
been, we venture to say, no subject OF pubic
interest brought up for the last thirty years
on which the verdict of the leading journals
has not fairly expressed the feeling OF the en-
lightened and Christian part of the commu-
nifty. On all questions of humanity, charity,
reform, these papers strike the keynote for
public opinion with no uncertain sound. Con
sidering the comparatively small circulation OF
religious weeklies, and the vast number III every
community who never hear a sermon. 1t Is for
tunate that this wholesale eXterminator of
worldly journals cannot have his way. and that
they still remain to preach lessons OF common
sense, moderation and even religion to the
American public, and if needed, to the preju-