The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1890-02-28

say tnaC about all the men uC the top
in Great Britain are Christians. Why,
SIR" he said, II have been ips1hblic
position fifty-eight years, and forty-
seven years in the cabinet Of the British
government, and during those forty,
seven years ! have been associated
with sixty of the master minds Of the
century, and all but five of the sixty
were Christians.
THE GREATEST BINDS ARE CHRISTIAN.
He then named the four leading
physicians and surgeons of has coun-
try, calling them by name and re,
marking upon the high qualities OF
each of them and added: ''They are all
thoroughly Christian My friends,
l think It will be quite respectable
for little longer to be the friends
of religion. William K. Gladstone, a
Christian; Henry w. Grady, a Chris
tan. What the greatest OF English.
men said of England is true of America
and of all Christendom. The men at
the top are the friends Of God and be-
levers in the sanctities of religion, the
most eminent of the lawyers, the most
eminent of the doctors, the most emin-
ent of the merchants and there are no
better men in all our land than some OF
those who sit in editorial chairs. And
if that does not correspond with your
acquaintanceship, am sorry that you
have fallen into bad company. In an
swer to the question put last spring,
"Can a secular journalist be Chris
tian2" not only answer in the aftima-
tive, but / assert that SO great are the
responsibilities of that profession, so
infinite and eternal the consequences
of their obedience or disobedience Of
the words of my text, "Take thee q
great roll, and write in it with a mans
pen, and SO many are the surround
ing temptations that the men of no
other profession more deeply need the
defenses and the e-enforcementsO Of the
grace of God.
And then look at the opportunities
of journalism. praise the pulpit and
magnify my Office, but / state a fact
which you all know when say that
where the pulpit touches one person
the press touches five hundred. The
vast majority of people do not 60 to
church, but all Intelligent people
read the newspapers. While, there
fore, the responsibilities the minis
ters is great, the responsibility of edit
ors and reporters is greater. Come,
brother journalists, and get your ordi-
nation, not by the laying on Of hui.
the hands of the Almighty. To you
is committed the precious reputation of
men and the more precious reputation
of women. Spread before our children
an elevated literature. Make sin ap-
pear disgusting and virtue advisable.
Believe good rather than evil. While
you show up the hypocrisies of the
church, show up the stupendOus n.y.
pocrisies outside the church. Be not,
as some of you are, the mere echoes of
public opinion; make public opinion.
Let the great roll on which you write
with mans pen be message of light
and liberty and kindness and an awak-
ening of moral power. But who is
sufficient for these things? Not one
of you without divine help. But get
that influence and the editors al re-
porters can go up and take this Ybrld
for God and thetruth, The mi
fulness today is open before tors
and reporters and publishers, WIN ther
of knowledge on foot, as in the Ibok,
or knowledge OH the wing, as in the
newspaper. / pray God, men of the
newspaper press, whether you hear or
read this sermon, that you may rise up
to your full opportunity and that you
may be divinely helped and rescued
and blessed.
THE PRESS HELPS THE GOSPEL.
Some one might say to me: How
can you talk thus of the newspaper
press, when you yourself have some
times been unfairly treated and mis-
represented?" answer that in the OPP
portunity the newspaper press of this
country and other countries have
given me week by week to preach the
Gospel to the nations, am put under
SO much obligation that defy all edi-
tors and reporters, the world over, to
write anything that shall call forth
from me one word of bitter retort
from now till the day of my death.
My opinion is, that all reformers and
religious teachers, instead of spending
so much time and energy in denounc-
ing the press. had better spendImore
time in thanking them for what they
have done for the worlds intelligence
and declaring their magnificent OPP
portunity and urging their employ
ment of it all for beneficent and right
eous purposes.
Again, I remark that Henry w.
Grady stood for Christian patriotism
irrespective of political spoils. He
declined all official reward. He could
have been governor of Georgia, but
refused it. He could have been sena-
tor of the United States, but declined
it. He remained plain Mr.. Grady.
Nearly all the other orators of the po
litical arena, as soon as the elections
are over, go to Washington, or AL
bany, or Harrisburg, or Atlanta, to
get in city or state or national Office
reward for their services, and not get
ting what they want spend the rest of
the time of that administration in
pouting about the management of pub
lie affairs or cursing Harrison or Cleve
land. When the great political cam
paigns were over Mr.. Grady went
home to his newspaper. He demon
strated that it is possible to
A