Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-07-14

what appears to me TO be hit, leaving rns
| consequences to Providence" and who wrote
this quaint epitaph showing his hope of res
direction. an cpitaph that hundreds Of
times read while living In Philadelphia
The Body
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Printer
like the cover OF an old book,
Its contents tom out.
And etript of It's lettering and giiding1,
Lies here food for worms.
Yet the work itself shall not be lost.
For it will las he beievedl appear once more
In new
And more beautiful edition,
Corrected and Amended
The Author.
That Providence intends the profession of
reporters to have a mighty share in the
worlds redemption is suggested by the fact
that Paul and Christ took a reporter along
,, with them. and he reported their addresses
and reported their acts Luke was a re-
porter and he wrote not only the book of
Luke. but the Acts of the Apostles, and
without that reporters work we would have
known nothing of the Pentecost, and moth
ing Of Stephens martyrdom, and nothing of
Tabitha's resurrection, and nothing of the
failing and unjailing Of Paul and Silas, and
nothing of the shipwreck at Melita. Strike
out the reporters work from the Bible and
YOU kill large part of the New Testament.
It makes me think that in the future of the
kingdom of God the reporters are to bear
mighty part
About thirteen years ago representative
of an important newspaper took his seat in
this church, one Sabbath night. about five
pews from the front of this pulpit. He took
out pencil and reporters pad, resolved to Carl
cature the whole scene. When the music began
he began, and with his pencil he derided that,
and then deride1 the prayer, and then derided
the reading of the Scriptures, and then began
to deride the sermon But, he says, for some
reason his hand began to tremble, and he.
rallying himself, sharpened his pencil and
started again, but broke down again, and
then put pencil and paper in his pocket
and his head down on the front of the pew
md began to pray. At the close of the
service he came up and asked for the
prayers OF others and gave his heart
to God; although still engaged in news
paper work, he IS an evangelist, and hires a
hall at his own expense and every Sabbath
afternoon breaches Jesus Christ to the peo-
pie. And the men of that profession are 60
ing to come in body throughout the coun-
try. know hundreds of them, and more
genial or highly educated class of men it
would be hard to find, and, though the
tendency of their profession may be toward
skepticism, an organized, common sense
Gospel invitation would fetch them to the
front of all Christian endeavor. Men of the
pencil and pen, in all departments. You need
Tue 0eip Oh Ji9o OHTlSbldH Religion. III UDe
day when people want to get their news
papers at three cents, and are hoping for
the time when they can get any of
item at one cent, and, as a conse-
quence, the attaches Of the printing press are
by the thousand ground under the cylinders,
you want God to take care of you and your
families. Some of your best work is as much
unappreciated as was Mi toms Paradise
LOST for which the author received $25, and
the immortal poem, @Hoheninden,n of
Thomas Campbell when he first offered it
for publication, and in the column called
"Notices to correspondents" appeared the
words: ''To T. C.-The lines commencing
On Linden when the sun was low are not up
to our standard. Poetry is not 7. G s forte"
o men of the pencil and pen, amid your
unappreciated work you need encouragement
and you can have it. Printers of all Chris
tendon, editors, reporters, compositors, press
men, publishers and readers of that which is
printed, resolve that you will not write, set
up edit, issue or read anything that debases
body mind or soul. In the name of God, by
the laying on of the hands of faith and
prayer, ordaiu the printing press for right
eousneSs and liberty and salvation. All
of us with some influence that will help
in the right direction, let us put our hands to
the work imploring God to hasten the consum-
nation. A ship with hundreds of passengers
approaching the South American coast, the
man on the lookout neglected his work
and in a few minutes the ship would have
been dashed to ruin on the rocks But
cricket on board the vessel that had made no
sound all the voyage, set up shrill call at
the smell of land, and the Captain, knowing
that habit of the insect, the vessel was
stopped in time to avoid an awful wreck.
And So insignificant means now may do
wonders and tho scratch Of apen may save
the shipwreck of a soul.
Are you all ready for the signing of the
contract. the league, the solemn treaty pro-
posed between Journalism and evangelism
Aye. let it be Christian marriage of the
pulpit and the printing press. The ordina-
zion Of the former on my head the pom of
the latter in,my hand. it is appropriate that
publish the banns of such marriage. Let
them from this day be one in the magnificent
work of the worlds redemption.
Let thrones and powers and kingdoms be
Obedient. mighty God, to Thee;
And over land and strean and main,
Now wave the sceper Thy reign.
o. let that glorious an hem SWELL
Let host to host the tr umph tell,
Till not rebel heart remains,
But over all tho Saw or rei0ns