Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-03
THE SUNDAY PAPER.

Every reputable newspaper strives
honestly to make its Sunday issue
clean, wholesome, informing.
Through it are sent out columns
of matter which are no less effect
i've than sermons upon morals,
although they are not prefaced by
a Biblical text. Through it the
minds of people are widened and
filled with a knowledge of the
worlds work and progress, max
ing a surer foundation on which
to build character than a library
of theological text book. And
we may deliberately and justly
charge upon clerical opponents
much responsibility for the faults
that the Sunday papers retain.
They have fought instead of
reforming. They know that,
however a newspaper may strive
to elevate its standard, it can rise
little higher than the demands of
its clientage. They have sought
to limit that clientage to the peo-
pie who do not go to church or
acknowledge the restraints Of
religion; they would bar it from
the intelligent people of good
taste and high principle, who fill
the pews of our churches. They
would compel the newspaper to
find its constituency solely among
those whom they can never reach,
and then condemn it because it is
not made up to suit the taste of
those who ostracize it. There is,
perhaps, no filter rebuke and no
more pointed moral for the pulpit
than the high character of the
Sunday issues of a really great
paper, made to suit the people,
and yet not ashamed of Judge
ment by high moral standard.
Upon the idea of rivalry which
might possibly inspire such a
crusade, we would not touch
willingly. For the audience of
the newspapers is too immeasura-
bly, greater than the combined
audience of the churches. The
paper would not have it SO. 1t
would be glad to see every family
attending, on Sunday morning,
some place of worship where it
would receive wholesome advice
upon the practical affairs of every
day life and moral lessons drawn
from the inimitable code of Christ;
and not diatribes againts fixed
social institutions. 1t would have
people fill in the day with rest,
and harmless amusement, and the
reading of good books and good
newspapers. 1t would make of
Sunday a rational as we'll as a
religious holiday. The newspaper
long ago ceased to exercise itself
about these recurrent attacks from
the pulpit, except in as far as they
are deplorable because they weak
en- the hold Of the churches on the
people. 1t is encouraging to find
that some clergymen, though they
are yet in minority, have yielded
to common sense in the considera-
ton of the Sunday paper as a
fixed and salutary feature of hum
an life and development.
There is a general misapprehen-
sion on the part of a great num-
Der of people as TO the modus
Operandi of counting and announc-
ing the electoral votes for Presi-
dent and Nice-President of the
United States. For many years
the custom was for the chosen
electors of each state to meet at
their respective seats of govern
ment, in December, and announce
their preference for such officers
but an act Of congress passed in
1887 changed the time of meeting
of electors throughout the country
the day named being the seconc
Monday in January, instead of The
first Wednesday in December, a.
formerly. The act of congress
referred TO introduced new feat
ure in the final steps of the can
vass. 1t requires the governor Q
each state Immediately after tn
state board of canvassers hav