The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-05-16

GU may not know why in the CONVERSE
ton which l had with Mr.. Gladstone few
weeks ago, he uttered these memorsbsc
words about Christianity, some Of wlileh
were cabled to America He was speaidng
in reply to this remark: l said, "Mr. Glad
stone, we are told in America by some people
that Christianity does very well for weak
minded men and children in the infant class
but it is not fit for stronger minded men;
but when we mention You. of such large m
tellectuality, as being pronounced friend
Of religion. we silence their batteries" Thea
Mr. Gladstone stopped on the hillside
where we were exercising and saldi
1.-The older grow, the more confirmed l am
in my faith in religion Sir said he with
flashing eve and uplifted hand. tai about
the CUES, De- a the dav, there Is sut one
question, and that is the Gospel. That can
and viii correct everything. Do you have
any Of that dreadful agnosti cism in AmerE
ca" Having told him we had, he went on
to say: Il am profoundly thankful that
none Of my children or kindred have been.
blasted by it. l am glad to say that aboutal
the men at the top in Great Britain are
Christians. Why, sir" he said II have
been in public position fifty-eight years,
and fortv-seven years in the Cabinet of the
British Government. and during those forty
seven years 1 have been associated with
sixty Of the master minds of the century,
and all but five of the sixty were Chrstiansr
He then named the four leading physicians
and surgeons Of his country, calling them by
name and remarking upon the high qualities
Of each Of them and added; They are all
thoroughly Christian Ny friends / think
it Will be quite respectable for a little longer
to be the friends of religion. William E.
Gladstone, Christian; Henry W GRADY, a
Christian What the greatest of English
men said Of England is true of America and
of all Christendon. The men at the top are
the friends of God and believers in the sane
titles of religion, the most eminent of the
LAWYERS the most eminent Of the doctors,
the most eminent 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 yonr :
acquaintanceship, I am sorry that yo1',
swer to the question put LAST spring,
Can a secular journalist be a Chris
tiIu" not only answer in the Affirmative
but | assert that 50 great are the Irresponsible
tiles of that profession, so infinite and
eternal the consequences Of their obedience
or disobe.iiencs of the words of my text,
Take thee a great roll, and write in it with
n mans PEN" and 50 many are the surround
ing temptations that the men OF no other
profession more deeply need the defenses and
the re-enfOrcements of the grace of God.
And then look at the opportunities Of jour
nalism. praise the pulpit and magnify my
Office, but 1 state fact which you all know
when say that where the pulpit touctss one
person the press touches five hundrse. The
vast majority of people do not go tC church,
but all intelligent people read the newspa-
pers. While, therefore, the responsibility of
the ministers is great, the responsibility of
editors and reportersis greater Come, broth
er journalists, and get your ordination, not
by the laying on of human hands, but by the
laying on of 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 lit
virtue admirable. Believe good rather
than evil. While YOU show up the
hypOcrisies of the church, show up the stu
pendous hypocrisies 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 a
mans pen be a message of light and liberty
and kindness and an awakening Of moral
power But VINO is sufficient for these things2
Not one Of you without divine help. But get
that influence and the editors and reporters
can 90 up and take this world for God and
the truth. The highest opportunity in all
the world for usefulness to-day is open be-
fore editors and reporters and publishers,
whether OF knowledge on foot, as in the book,
or knowledge on the wing, as in the news
paper. / 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 res
cued and blessed.
Some one might say to me: How can you
talk thus Of the newspaper press, when you
yourself haye sometimes been unfairly treated
and misrepresentedg7 l answer that in the
the newspaper press of tins
country and other countries have given mo
week by week 70 preach the Gospel 70 the
nations, I am put under so much Obligation
that 1 DEFY all editors and reporters fas
world over to write anything that shah call
forth from me one word Of bitter retort from 4
now till the day of my death My opinion
that all refOrmers and religious teachers, in =
stead of spending 50 much time and energy
in denouncing the press, had better spe1dfi
more time in thanking them for what the
have done for the worlds intelligence and d q
,laring their magnificent opportunity md
Urging their employment Of it all for benefs
cent and righteous purposes.
again, remark that Henry W. Grady I
stood for Christian patriotism irrespecesre Of 7
political spois. He declined all Official re
ward. He could have been Governor cf I
Georgia, but refused it. He could have been I
Senator Of the United States, but declined it. /
He remained plain Mr. Grady. Nearly all |
soon as the elections are oyer, go TO Wash [
ngton, or Albany. or Harrisburg, or At I
anita, TO get in city or State or National /
office reward for their services, and not get Z
ing what they want spend the rest of the 1
lime OF that administration in pOuting about .
-he management of public affairs or cursing .
Harrison or Cleveland. When the great .
political campaigns were over Mr.. Grady .
vent home to his newspaper. He demon
itrated that it is possible to
oil for principles which he thought to be
light, simply because they were right
Christian patriotism is too rare 4 commodity
IN this country. Surely the JOY of living
lnder such free Institutions as those estab-
i--,Gd here ought to be enough reward for
political fidelity. Among all the great writ
RS that stood at the last Presidential cleo
ion on Democratic and Republican plat
orIns, you cannot recall in your mind ten
Who were not themselves looking for remu-
lerative appointments. Aye, You can count
hem all on the fingers Of one hand. The
most illustrious s4eC.-aen of that style of =
nan for the last ten years was Henry W. =
irady.
Again, Mr.. Crazy stood for the new south
nd was just what We want TO meet three !.
Their men, one to speak for the new north, =
mother for the new east and another for the
ew west. The bravest speech made for the
lst quarter Of a century was that made by
lr Grady at the New England dinner in
lew York about two OF three years ago.
at with him that evening and know some
hing OF his snxieties, for he was to tread on
angerous ground and might by one mis-
poken word have antagoniZed forever both
sctions. His Speech was a victory that
hrilled all Of US who heard him and all who
cad him. That speech, great for wisdom,
reat for kindness, great for pacificatiOn
reat for bravery, viii go down to the gene
atoms with Webster's speech at Bunker
ILL., William Wirt's speech at the arraign-
lent of Aaron Burr, Edmund Burke's
beech on Warren Hastings, Robert Emmets
Jeech for MS own vindIcatiOn.
y no will in conspicuous action represent
he new north as he did the new sOuthG Who
= come forth for the new east and who
II g Iew vest Let old political issues be
uried, let old grudges die. Let new theories
g launched. With the coming in OF a new
alton at the gates of Castle Garden every
ear, and the wheat bin and corn crib Of our
md enlarged with every harvest, and vast
multitude of our population still plunged III
literacy to be educated, and moral ques-
ons abroad involving the very existence OF
ur Republic let the old political platforms
nat are worm-eaten be dropped and plat
1rms that shall be made of two planks, tne
ne the Ten Commandments and the other the
ermon on the Mount lifted for all OF Us e
and on. But there is a lot Of old point
ans grumbling all around the sky who don ~
ant a new south a new north a new e3l5t. Or