Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-01-18
The Church and the Press.

The Ohufch and the Press.
The church is n transparent glass
through which one peers vaguely at
the future. Tic daily press is mir
ror in which one sees the signs Of the |
times. The church IL active, the pres
reactive.
Religion IL impaired to the masses
according to the accepted theories Of
the various denominations The masses
receive, but they give nothing in re-
urn. The Catholic church stands to-
day practically as a century ago.
Now and then an scceptel votsry re
bels against the established teachings
Of the mother church and seis up anew
religion, but the mother church re-
mains unchanged, always active, never
acted upon.
Never stationary, always leading on
ward, the press iDstIucts as It is in
structed. The msfses act upon the
press, the press reacts upon the MISSES.
The early offspring OF that renaissance
which followed the middle ages, the
daily press has advanced by heTculean
strides until to-day IL stands the
power OF all lands. Suppressed by
kings, branded AZ inhdel by the
church, tearing down empires here
aud building up republics there, 1t hiss
ever reflected the sentiments Of the
masses and has become to them a
prime necessity.
From a recent Issue of the Texas
Monitor we quote:
\ The daily press IS not merely secular II Is
inndei really or. sgnostie, TO use the pretty
| wo orlgi ated by Huxley. Tho daily pa
psrA go into nearly all Christia2 homes.
Catholics who never In their life would sub
soi ibe 10 a CO hoiic journal. as well 8s hose
VINO are always forward in the support OF
Catholic Enterprise, read the lily papers
through and permit their children TO do the
same.
The press Is secular, as the people
are secular. During our national cam
paigns the party lines are closely
drawn among the people, and hence
are closely drawn by the press. once
the campaign Is over, party feeling dies
out and party lines are full of curves.
( A practical demonstration Of this fact
is found in the ever varying circula'
ton Of some Of our larger dailies,
, During the campaign Of "a, Of the five
great dallles In New York city
? but one supported the Republican can
e didAte. Az result, It's circulation rsE
, up In excess Of that of any other dsi }
F.. IN the country, and far in excess Of ia
e prev iOus circulation. Now that thu
campaign is over and the party line
9 are no longer drawn, it's circulation i
. daily decreasing and 1t is rapidly as
e pumiDg its former rank among its con
s temporaries.
! In regard to religion the Monito
3 says: $40 the daily press, 20 far as re
A ligious Issues are involved, MohAmms
e danism and Christianity stand OF
Q equal ground but that "Christlanit.
n being nearer At hand suffers mora thai
i Mohammedanism from the dali.
a preesman's familiarity
: Quite the contrary is true. It is be
cause Mohammedanism is 80 far away
h because we see nothing OF it, that 3
Y little Is written. Imagine one of gu
Il great da lies coming out mornin
II after morning with an anti-Christla
Ia leader, when It is a common occur
1 renee at the present. day for one {
: Spurgeon's sermons TO DO printed 1
9 San Francisco within tweniy-four ate
/ it's delivery In London But 20 com
y nearer home, can the Monitor "a
" that Mornionism and ChristianiI
it stand on equal ground with the dali
= press9 Surely there is no portion I
"a the press that upholds Mormon
a ism. The Salt Lake Tribur
IL Ia one OF the most nourishing pape
" ia the country to-day. IL wages col
n tinual warfare on the Mormons, an
IN yet is read by thousands OF that reli
I'd ious sect. 1t can hardly be said The
I'd TO be solely money-maklng ente
&C prise. AZ 10 the means Of eradicAtlr
ne the evil OF Mormonism, the papers d
ms Ter among themselves; but that u
to eS Il should be eradicated, not one "
40 gainsay.
u. The daily paper enters the Cathol
i'd home because that home looks ups n
ho a. a necessity, because TO be without
or means ostraclsD. An inleilige
x. Catholic cannot allow his children
,e- grow up In ignorance. He might sh
Isr them up In clol.ters aud teach the
.or erudiion until they were gray, y
10 when thrown 10 contact with Il
sir world they would be a. helpless
IA babes. With book-learuing mu I
ne world.learnlng or experiences. rhechi
% enters upon the world's arena -