The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-02-07
Are We an Agent of the Devil +?

AlV w eh &A6 INV VI Ivs-S - y -
Our clerical brethren are acquiring
good deal of miscellaneous notoriety.
Some of them, like the Rev. Bristor and
The Rev. Downes, have distinguished
themselves by too liberal extension of
the doctrine which teaches US to love our
neighbor These Christian pastors, not
content with loving their neighbor, have
displayed not altogether laudable affec-
ton for their Heighbor's wife and daugh-
ter. Other prominentdivinesh have achieved
fame by committing forgery, and few
have INDUCED in the luxury of positive
murder. But of all methods adopted by
clergymen to make themselves conspicu-
Gus, the safest and surest and most reputa-
BILE is to attack the press, and especially
the Sunday newspaper. Many clergymen
who 9th erwise would never have been
heard Of outside of their flock, have sue
ceeded by this simple expedient in attract
ing the notice of a partly credulous and
partly amused and partly contemptucus
public.
The latest essay in this direction has the
Rev. j. Atkinson, of this city, for its
author. We have a kindly feeling, not
wholly unmingled with pity, for the Rev.
J. Atkinson. So far as we know. he is an
arniable and respectable sort Of person,
He has never, we believe, been accused. or
even suspected, of praying inordinately
with sister orof nlingIing anthony with
the lemo made OF his mother-in-law' s
daughter. In short, lie is, If report be
true-and we do not doubt tia model
minister, according to the modern stand
ard. The degree of celebrity to which he
has attained, however, is such as not to
render it necessary for us to blush at the
ignorance which we evince in confessing
that we do not know to which denomina-
ton be belongs, or at what temple he
exerts his potent energies in recruiting the
ranks of the Church Militant Be this as
it may, the fact to which we wish to call
attention is that the Rev. J. Atkinson,
like many of his professional brethren,
has been taking hack at the press. At
q recent meeting he denounced it as an
instrument Of Satan. He said, at is in
the hands of the Devil" In a letter sub
sequently published by him for the pur-
pose of showing what he meant by what
he had said, he qualified his statement SO
shat it applied only TO the morning news
papers From this explanation we infer
that the afternoon newspapers are not in
the hands of the Devil. But how about
the newspapers that are printed precisely
at high noonf In whose hands are theyf
If the moral qualities of newspaper are
to be determined by the order of chrome
logical progression, the editor who wants
90 save.his soul-and every reputable editor
wants to do $50, provided, of course, that
he can do it without diminishing his CIR
culation-must feel some interest in the
theory that before 10 NJ he cannot indulge
in journalism except at the risk of his sal
yation And perhaps we shall be par
doned for asking the question: he may
go TO work without sin at that hour, how
long thereafter may he continue at work
without injury to his spiritual prospects?
The Rev. j. Atkinson says of hissaccu-
sation against the press, and especially the
Sunday newspaper, that so grave a
charge requires proof, 2 and he proceeds
" to give the reasons for this belief" Here
is his first reason:
]. The Sabbath is the Lords day. he hallowed
1t. BE commanded its observance It has existed
from the creation, not merely since. Sinai and
God has never repealed the law Of the Sabbath.
No one. think, will deny that God has shown
most clearly that he desires the maintenance Of
The Sabbath in it's sacredness. Its observance is
essential to religion, and the achievement OF the
divine purpose respecting the salvation Of the
world.
It would scarcely be fair to argue with
the Rev. J. Atkinson, for of logic he seems
to be as innocent as of drunkenness or any
other vice. But we may, perhaps. with
out offense, point out to him that the
Sabbath of which be speaks, and to which
the biblical injuuctions apply, is not our
Sunday. The Sabbath of the Holy Book
was and is our Saturday-the seventh day
of the week. The Jews are the only peo-
pie who observe 1t, and their observance
of it has at least the merit of consistency.
The practice now universally prevalent
among Christians of observing Sunday
instead of Saturday as holy day was
introduced by The Catholic Church with
out any yestige of authority in Scripture.
for the purpose of commemorative the
Resurrection. If. therefore, the Rev.
Atkinson is bent upon keeping the Sab
bath holy, he must begin at 10 p. NJ. on
Friday, and he must preach and pray and
exhort the brethren and take up the coll
lection on Saturday; and having done so,
be may, without peril to his soul. read bis
paper and play croquet or progressive
euchre, or even laugh out loud on Sunday
This being the case, it is hardly necessary
to further consider the alleged dissertation
Of the Sabbath BY the reading Of the Sun
day journals.
AS the TATTLER is a distinctive1y Sun
day newspaper, we feel certain tender
ness on this subject. We know, to be
'ure, that we have devil in our Office, but
he is The prioter's devil, and so far as we
The project Of making Mill Creek into
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