Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-21
PULPIT AND PRESS.

PULPIT AND PRESS.
..The World is Their Field-Let Them
Vie in Good Works"
At the first Christian Church last even
ing, the pastor, Rev. A. NJ. Growden, deliv-
cred an interesting sermon on the above
subject, in which particular attention was
paid to the mission of the Sunday paper.
He preached from the text: when l
turned I lifted up mine eyes, and behold +!
a flying roll."--Zec. ", 1.
This flying ROLL" said the pastor, twas
witness against evil-a protest against sin.
Men feared it. There is power to-day
which good men ought to love, which evil
men must fear, it is the power of pulpit
and press. There ought to be no antagon-
ism between these powers. They are twin
branches of the wondrous tree of Provi-
dence. Man has ever endeavored to i'm
press and extend his thoughts. Bricks
from Babylon tell US that in that distant
age the art of printing was attempted. 1t
was more properly stamping. The Chinese
to-day use that primitive process 1t was
reserved for a greater people to invent the
wondrous art. The earliest approach to
newspaper is found in the 'Acta Publica'
of Ancient Rome, about 400 years ago
the first book issued from the press. Be-
tween 1850 and 1455 Gutenberg succeeded
in printing Bible. In 1471 Caxton intro
duced printing into England. In thirty
years it had reached Scotland and Iceland.
"Macaulay gives an interesting sketch of
the press in the time of Charles II. No
llNu To
his permission, and he exclusively fostered
the London Gazette. 1t appeared on
Mondays and Thursdays, usually con-
tanning royal proclamation, Tory ad-
dress, an account of a skirmish
on the Danube, description of some high
wayman-making two pages il all. The
important state trials and parliamentary
debates were passed by in silence. In the
new world printing rapidly attained won
derful proficiency. In 1843 Joseph Adams,
of New York, applied electrotyping to the
art by illustrating Harpers Bible. Our
earliest newspaper was the Boston NelUs
Letter, founded III 1704. AT the close of the
French and Indian wars there were ten
newspapers in the Colonies. In 1880 there
were 1888 weeklies OIL dailes. The New
York Ledger has sent out in one edition
400 900 copies. What power the newspa-
would be if the printing presses were
silenced for a week. If the flying rolls
ceased flying, with no word from the out
side world, life would resemble an Arctic
winter. Give me a country that has plenty
of newspapers. The freedom, not license,
of the press and pulpit is one of our inesti-
mable blessings. May the day never come
when priest or President shall silence
either.
Sometimes it is said that the press aids
| the wrong. would answer that charge IN
John Millions language: Let her and
falsehood grapple. Who ever knew truth
put to the worse in free and open en-
counter Let no one misunderstood me.
| / am not saying word in favor of those
| flying rolls that soil their whiteness by OBJ
scene salacious details. May God deliver
us from them. Too filthy to enter clean
! home, too degraded to be called by name.
| All good things may be prostituted to vile
1 ends.
THE press is next to the pulpit in moral
power. The press prints our newspapers
| it also prints our Bibles. The cold type
tells the tale of bereavement that calls to
benevolent action a sympathetic world,
and the warm and eloquent sermon that is
| freighted with moral force and divine truth.
| You tell me, though, that the press has in
its columns tales of bloodshed, descriptions
of murders; that it paints the dark side as
we'll as the light. True enough. Would
you like paper of speculation and the
DRY? If there are noted criminals, let ui
not be ignorant; if there are angels OF
mercy, let US form their acquaintance. In
times of trouble the religious and secular
press reminds US of the fact that God is the
Father of US all. During the civil war the
Sunday newspaper appeared. 1t told OF
| victory and defeat of heroism on the part
of the Blue and the Gray, who to-day sleep
side by side. When the red hand of war
was Withdrawn the Sunday paper poured
forth new story. 1t told of Savior who
could heal broken hearts-of that land
where the terrible notes of war would
meier resound. 1t brought through
its religious intelligence the conso-
lations of the house of God to the
fireside. From the lips of some cody man
the words were caught by the flying roll
and multiplied thousandfold. Hundreds
attended the churches, but thousands heard
the word.
"May the Sunday newspaper never omit
It's message from religions domain for the
myriad toilers of earth. 1t will ease their
burdens, tighten their cares. We read the
reported sermons in the cars, out on the
Western plains; dusky miners read it as
they pause at MONDAY the sailor drops q
tear as memories of home cross his mind
called up by his messmate's voice as be
reads once more the greasy, tar-stained,
crumpled newspaper picked up at the last
port. The Bible is too often buried and
overlooked; the newspaper is always al
hand l would make every newsboy q
missionary, at least once week. Why
not carry the influence of the pulpit into
| all nd of 7 =
of the warm Lord s-day atmosphere being
carried like bene6cent gulf stream into
the cool waters of a worldly week. We
hear objections to the Sabbath news.
paper as it is termed. We ere not living
under Jewish law; we are not keeping the
Jewish Sabbath. Under that law no work
of any kind was permitted. The Lords
day is for religious activity. There is
liberty to do good and to circulate good
whether by press or pulpit. Until the
Sunday paper is proven an evil per Sc, ex
pect to read it, quote it and enjoy it
perusal. Why make a distinction between
the sermon heard and the sermon read
Are they not both capable of good? Lonl
ago a wiser man than Solomon said: He
that is not against US is for u.s. Until tn,
Sunday newspaper is found to be the frienC
of irreligion, lawlessness and iniquity, why
ask to have it discontinued? Perhaps BY
the power of consecrated common sense W,
may double its influence for good. w,
ought to discriminate. The press does no
profess to be disseminator of theology
| it deals with the utilitarian it is eminently
practical. seeking for the greatest good t.
the greatest number. Let the press anC
pulpit vie with each other in good works
the world is the field for both. 1t viii
take their united efforts to annihilat,
Satan's power and cause the desert of sir
and sorrow to blossom like the rose
Where the preachers voice does not pene
trate, the voice of the press does; what tht
pulpit lacks of penetrative power the pres
supplies. Yes, toll on for that golden day
of peace and love, the goal of all good eff
fort. There is one who judges righteously
[ He will render unfn every man according