St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-10
What a Minister Thinks Would
Benefit the Christian
Worker.
Even Sensational Stories
Serve a Good Purpose in
Forcing Conviction.
Enterprise of the Press to Be
Commended Rather Than
Discouraged.
A Girdle Put Around the Earth
by Tireless News :
Hunters.

"Not by might. or by power, but by
my spirit, with the Lord" These words,
taken from Zachariah. w., 6. formed the
text taken by Rev. W. S. Vail yesterday
morning in his sermon to the Universal :
lst society at the Peoples theater.
Promising his discourse, the reverend
gentleman said he was going to
preach on the influence of the Sunday
newspaper. and in doing SO would give
each side of the question, and then in
the spirit of the text try to find the solu-
ton Of the problem.
Son Sunday last, proceeded Mr.. Vail,
s'in Minneapolis, minister who draws
the largest congregation in that city, a
preacher a sermon in which
he took up in one section
the Sunday newspaper. He con-
condemned the Sunday newspaper in a
wholesale fashion, saying that every
man who purchased one was as much
of sinner as if he went out on the
street and bought or sold $500 worth of
real estate. He hoped every man in his
congregation who desired to work for
righteousness would refuse to buy, and
in every way condemn the Sunday
newspaper, and he went on to anaiyZe
its contents and show that it twas en-
tirely wrong. Now / will not pause 10
take up point by point his objections.
| want to look at the matter in broader
way; but do want to remark upon the
peculiar standpoint that some ministers
seem to occupy in regard to the
USE OF THE SABBATH DAY,
and what is right or wrong on that day.
Christ was criticised as much, perhaps.
for this one thing as anything else in
his career, for doing things which were
not in accordance with the traditions of
the elders on the Sabbath day. To
point out the popularity Of the stand
point occupied by some men within a
hundred miles Of this place there lives
preacher OF great earneStness, grad
uate of college and man who should
have most excellent Judgment, judging
from the position he occupies. His
family was bleSt awhile ago by the COM
ing of little babe. 1t was not respons-
ible for its own life. and they were
obliged to do everything that would
make for it health, comfort and preser-
Walton, so long as it was utterly help
less. The mother failed to, give nourish-
ment, so they had to purchase food for
one of the elect-refused to take the
milk on Sunday for his babe, and abso-
lutely endangered the child'S life.
The preacher then gave one side of
the question raised by the publication
of the Sunday newspaper, and that was
the managers side. Here they were
combated with the query: 'Mhy is "a
Sunday paper in eXistence?" "There is
only one answer to this" continued Mr..
Vail. 1.-The managers of the Sunday
newspapers do not claim to be mission
aries. They do not claim to-be putting
in vast amount of hard work and Or
gained effort for the purpose of doing
what a man would do who went into the
streets of this city or into foreign lands
TO PREACH THE GOSPEL. (
They do not pretend to do anything
for any larger purpose, perhaps,in most
Sunday newspaper was organized
previously to make money, and it is al
ways we'll to keep that matter clear"
Mr.. Vail thence enlarged upon the
necessity of managers of newspapers to
cater to the tastes of the purchasers of
their papers, and the result of the enter
prise created was set forth in the follow
ing words: eff you will sail the seas to
the most northern point of this CONT
nent, you will fluid that the island last
marked and named was the result of an
expedition by men in the pay of news
paper. If you will go to Pleona
and stand there watching the guns
as they belch forth hail and murderous
fire, you will find three or four Ameri-
can boys down in the ditch where they
are exposed to the fire of both armies in
order that they may gather the news Oh
70 tl,n
papers that they represent. If you go
to the far Zululand at the time when
the battle is on and wait until night
comes, you will find Mr.. Forbes in his
saddle riding 100 miles or more in the
night in country where his life is not
safe for single moment, i'll order that
he may send his message away to the
papers. Go to the distant Danube-the
beautiful blue Danube-and in the
winters cold, with the thermometer
many degrees below zero. you will find
young American boy trying to keep
up fire to prevent the ink freezing
while he is chronicling the news Of the
Russian army which is marching on
towards Constantinople. If you go to
the foremost point in the world you will
find that newspaper enterprise has
reached there; and that to-day the
Associated Press has its agent in every
important town all over the world.
''SemetimeS we criticize the Sunday
newspaper, and it is the habit of men
every now and then to preach a sermon
| and say:
STOP THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER:
1t is doing great deal of harm. Do
not be deceived by this, for large pro-
| portion of men in the orthodox
| churches who shout out amen to
| these appeals, are the men who go to
| their homes, get into corner where
! nobody can see them. and read a double
| column of scandal! Do you suppose
| the editors have not measured these
men? They know what is in man, and
| how to figure him up. 1t has been
| their business, and the very success the
manager knows how to reach the heart
| of the public"
| Mr.. Vail spoke of the magnitude of
! the work done by the newspaper for
| liberty. good government and the social
| needs of mankind. In this work news
papers had done an incalculable amount
! of good for the Christian ministry. The
| other side of the question of the Sun
day newspaper was. its influence for
| good or evil upon young people. This
| was a momentous problem, but its So
luton laid with the people-the readers
| of the newspapers themselves. They
| must make known their demands to the
manager of the newspaper, and, depend
upon it. their wants would be satisfied,
even if it be to the extent of the
| publication of Sunday school
| book in the Sunday paper.
| Christian communities make their wants
known, and are ready to cooperate and
! assist m anapprS of orr nawSOaperc they
will find Sunday paper to their liking.
We must create and develop senti-
ment that will arm young people
against the harmful elements and make
everything that seems harmful appear
so instead OF being seductive. No Chris
tian man is made any worse by reading
even what we call sensational stories in