Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-06-27
HOW THE PRESS AND RELIGION
HELP EACH OTHER.
DIR. TALMAeE's SERMON, SUNDAY, JUNE II.

DRooKLYN, June 17.-At the service in
ID the Tabernacle this morning, the Rev.
T. Dewitt Talmage, DID,, took for the
subject Of his discourse, "Pulpit and Press
Made Allies" His text was, Luke xvi, s:
ssThe children of this world are in thei1
generation wiser than the children of light"
| He said:
| Sacred stupidity and solemn incompetency
and sanetified laziness are here rebuked by
| Christ. He says worldlings are wider awake
for opportunities than are Christians. Men
of the world grab occasions, while Chris
tian people let the most valuable occasions
drift by unimproved. That is the meaning
of our Lord when he says: 'eThe children of
this world are in their generation wiser than
the children of light"
A marked illustration of the truth of that
maxim is in the slowness of the Christian
religion to take possession of the secular
printing press. The opportunity 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 unimproved. That the
opportunity is open I declare from the fact
that all the secular newspapers are glad of
any religious facts or statistics that you
present them. Any animated and stirring
article relating to religious themes they
would gladly print. They thank you for
any information in regard to churches. If
wrong has been done to any Christian
church or Christian institution, you could
go into any newspaper of the land and have
the real truth stated. Dedication services,
ministerial ordinations and pastoral install
lations, cornerstone laying of church, an
nivergary of charitable society will have
reasonable space in any secular journal, if it
have previous notice given. If had some
great injustice done me, there is not an edi-
torial or reportorial room in the United
States into which could not go and get
myself set right, and that is true of any
well. known Christian man. Already the
daily secular press during the course of each
week publishes as much religious informa-
tion and high moral sentiment as does the
weekly religious press. Why then does not
our glorious Christianity embrace these
magnificent opportunities? l have before
me subject of first and last Importance
How shall we secure the secular press as a
mightier reinforcement to religion and the
pulpit?
The first thing toward this result is cessa-
ton of indiscriminate hostility against news
the legal profession because of the shysters,
or the medical profession because of the
ouacks, or merchandise because of the
swindling bargain makers, as to slam-bang
newspapers because there are recreant edi-
tors and unfair reporters and unclsan col
umns. Gutenberg, the inventor of the art
of printing, was about to destroy his types
and extinguish the art because it was sug-
| gested to him that printing might be
suborned into the service of the devil, but
afterward he bethought himself that the
right use of the art might more than over
come the evil use of it and so he spared the
type and the intelligence of all following
ages. But there are many to day IN the
depressed mood of Gutenberg with upliftet
hammer wanting to pound to pieces the
type, who have not reached his better mOot
in which he saw the art of printing to bt
the rising sun of the worlds illumination
If iustead Of fighting newspapers we spent
the same length of time and the same vehe
mence in marshalling their help in religious
directions, we would be as much wiser al
the man gets consent of the railroad super
intendent to fasten car to the end OF a rail-
train, shows better sense than he who run
his wheelbarrow up the track to meet an'
drive back the Chicago limited express
The silliest thing that a man ever does is T.
fight newspaper, for you may have tn
floor for utterauce perhaps one day IN tn
week, while the newspaper has the foo
every day of the week. Napoleon thong
a mighty man had many weaknesses, an
one of the weakest things he ever did wa
to threaten that if the English newspaper
did not stop their adverse criticism Of him
self he would with four hundred thousan
bayonets cross the Channel for their chas
tisement.
Don't fight newspapers. Attack provoke
attack. Better wait till the excitemen
= blows over and then go in and get justice
for get it you will if you have patience an
common sense and equipoise of disposition
1t ought to be mighty sedative that ther
is an enormous amount of common sense i
the world, and you will eventually be take
for what you are really worth, and you car
not be puffed up and you cannot be write
down, and if you are the enemy of good 81
5 ciety that fact will come out, and if you al
the friend of good society that fact will b
= established. | know what l am talkin
. about for can draw on my own experience
All the respectable newspapers as far as
# know are my friends now. But many {
S you remember the time when I was th
If most continuously and meanly attacke
. q man in this country. God gave me gra(
e not to answer back and kept silence f(
Il ten years, and much grace is required
! What said was perverted aud twisted int
e just the opposite of what did say. M
; person was maligned and I was presente
as a gorgon, and was malieiously descril