The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-06-27
DR., TALMAGE ON THE PRESS.
IF THE SUNDAY PAPER CANT BE
SUPPRESSED, CONVERT 1T.


He Advises the People to Give the Re-
porters Easychairs--Don't Condemn All
Editors Because Of Onc-.His Idea of the
Newspaper of the Distant Day.
The Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage preached
very interesting sermon Sunday morn
ing upon the subject: "rhe Pulpit and
Printing Press as Allies" 1t was the
last regular sermon that The popular
divine will preach until after the sum-
mer vacation. This fact was sufficient
to more than usually crowd the great
Tabernacle building. Every inch OF
space was taken up and hundreds were
turned away. Services will be held in
the church for some weeks yet, the as
sistant pastor officiating.
DR.. Talmage took his text from Luke
xvi, s: ssrhe children of this world are
in their generation wiser than the chill
dren of hight" He said:
"Sacred stupidity and solemn lncom-
petency aid sanctiied laZiGeSs are here
r.buked by Christ. He says worldlings
are wider awake for opportunities than
are Christians. Men of the world grab
occasions, while Christian people let the
most valuable occasions drift by uulm-
proved.
"a marked illustration of the truth OF
that maxim is in the slo7ness OF tn
Christian religion to take possession oe
the secular printing press. The oppor-'
tnnity is open and has for some time
been open, but the ecclesiastical courts
and the churches and the ministers OF
religion are for the most part allowing
the golden opportunity to pass uulm-
proved. That the opportunity is open
/ declare from the fact that all the secu-
lar newspapers are glad OF any religious
facts or statistics that you present them.
ANY animated and stirring article re-
lating to religious themes they would
gladly print. They thank you for any
information in regard to churches. II q
wrong has been done to any Christian
Church or Christian institution, you
could so into any newspaper of the land
and have the real truth stated. Dedica-
ton services, ministerial ordinations aud
pastoral installations, cornerstone laying
of church, anniversary of charitable
society will have reasonable space in ally
secular journal, if it have previons notice
given. Ii I had some great injustice
done me, there is not an editorial or
reportorial room in the United States
into which could not 60 and get my
self set right, and that is true OF any
well-knoWn Christian man. Already the
daily secular press durins-the course OF
each week publishes as much religious
information as does the weekly religious
press. Why. then, does not our glorious
Christianity embrace these magnl1cent
opportunities? have before me sub
iect of first and last Importance: How
shall We secure the secular press as q
mightier reinforcement to religion and
the pulpit?
frhe first thing toward this result is
cessation of indiscriminate hostility
against newspaperdom. You might as
we'll denounce the legal profession be,
cause of the shysters, or the medical
profession because Of the quacks, or
merchandise because of the swindling
bargain makers, as to slam-bang news
papers because there are recreant editors
and unfair reporters and unclean
columns.
eff instead of fighting newspapers we
spend the same length OF time and the
same vehemence in marshalling their
help in religious directions, we would be
as much wiser as the man who gets con-
sent of the railroad superintendent to
fasten car to the end of rail train,
shows better sense than he who runs bis
wheelbsrrow up the track to meet and
drive back the Chicago limited express.
The silliest thing that man ever does
is to fight newspaper, for you may
have the floor for utterance perhaps one
day in the week, while the newspaper
has the floor every day OF the week:
Napoleon, though mighty man, had
many weaknesses, and one Of the weak
est things he ever did was to threaten
that if the English newspapers did not
stop their adverse criticism OF himself
be would with 100000 bayonejs cross
the Channel for their chastisement.
"Don't fight newspapers. Attack
proyokes attack. Better wait till the
excitement blows over and then go in
and get justice, for get it you will if you
have patience and common sense and
equipoise OF disposition. 1t ought to be
q mighty sedative that there is an encr-
mons amount of common sense in the
world, and you will eventually be taken
for what you are really worth, and you
cannot be puffed up and you cannot be
written down, and if you are the enemy
of good society that fact will come out,
and if you are tie friend OF good society
that fact will be established.
know what am talking about, for l
can draw on my own experience. All
the respectable newspapers as far as l
know are my friends now. But many
of YOU remember the time when / was
the most continuously and meanly
attacked man in this country. God gave
me grace not to answer back and l kept
silence for ten years, and much grace it
required. What I said was perverted
and twisted into just the opposite OF
what I did say. Ny person was ma
ligned and was represented as a gor-
gon, and I was maliciously described by
persons who had never seen me, as a
monstrosity in mind, body and soul.
There were millions of people who be-
iieved that there was large sofa IN this
pulpit, although we never had anything
but chair, and that during the singing
Inv the conoreoation l was accustomed