Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-06-06
tbe lanfaster 1ntelliacafer.
LANCASTER, JUNE 6, 1885.
Secular and Religious Journals.


An esteemed religious contemporary, one
II the best of its class of newspapers,
makes an appeal for the better popular sup
port Of denominational journals, largely
based on the fact that what il calls the
more reputable daily secular press. by the
tone Of its management, harbors and cOun-
tena11ces s tendencies which are actively |
fmor9l 1and. iwpGfe> as, well as pas
1SteIy irreligious'' and "Ehen it is
not one that descends TO tile, vulgarity |
and coarsenesss only too deploraply,p |
lont,u it is ut least :" not calculsattd to ad-
vance good morals. In contemplation "of
the yards of reported base ball matches,
the rods of idle society gossip furlongs of
ghastly criminal records, the arid acres of
1 presidential speculations," which the
reader Of the daily newspaper has to en-
counter, another approved authority ON
this subject recommends that the Chris
tian 'subscriber for one good religious pa
per, and be content with that, and by this
simple and safe expedient avoid much
useless irritation, much erroneous state
ment, accumulate much wisdom, and lay
in store much serenity of disposition"
Remove the advertisements from the
average secular paper" says this religious
journalist, "and 80 per cent. of the residue is
apt to consist of the reports Of " crime and
folly"
There is no doubt good reason for COM
plant against the manner in which many
of the newspapers of the day are edited,
and ample. .n<sn Tor reforcss,n their selec-
tiops oftwhat to print lSSStSthe overstate-
-Me6ts of those who complain make moth
ing for their case, and the attempt to
transfer to the newspapers the responsibility
for fundamental wrongsin society is unjust
and erroneous. 1t is the function of the
newspapers to furnish their readers with
the news of the day, keeping in mind GER
tain regard for the morals of the com
munity, such as is expected to restrict thu
conductors of every other legitimate secular
business. 1t is lamentably true that mucl
Of this news consists of reports of crime ant
folly; just as large portion of the SACRED
narrative and of profane history records tn
misdoings and the misjudgments of men
even this is not without its mor0l lesson. a
tAO UuCiiiCp Siiooeii lol puipio PiSoS'o ~
often prove.
The same religious journal in the SAM
issne a,o.n wnlcn we quote, points out tn
startling fact that the epeople of this countr
Y spend ten times as much for strong drinl
as for education, and over a hundre,
times as much as for Christian missions.
will hardly be claimed that the sec
ular newspapers should suppress this fact
much less that they are responsible for it
and if crime and folly make up SO mucl
of the activity of human life, it is diff
cult to see how the newspaper can con
sistently ignore the fact. Ifpeople will go t
: base ball matches rather than to church
and prefer to see hanging rather than t
hear sermon, the fault lies in far NOR
radical evils than that the newspaper report
the matter as it is.
The preacher and the religious journa
must address themselves to deeper reach
ing sources of evil than the newspaper re
n porter if they would heal the social ill
that beset US and they must furnish YER
much more eflicacious remedy than TIN
denominational journal exclusively if the
would purge society. 1t does not, and i
cannot be made to supply the place of tn
daily newspaper 1t has its work to do il
an entirely different sphere; and, by tn
way, as rule it is not doing its work a
well as the average daily secular newspaper