The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-03-07

tel. impressed me in such q way that when
SIMPLY heard of his departure without any Of
the particulars, concluded thathe was ready
to go. warrant there was no fright in the
last exigency, but that he found what is COM
monty called s'the last enemy" u good friend.
and from his home on earth he went to q
home in heaven. Yes, Mr.. Grady not only
demonstrated that nm editor may be a
Christian, but that . very great intellect
may be gospOlized. His mental capacity
was so wonderful it was almost startling,
have been with him in active conversation
while at the same time he was debating to q
stenographer editorials for the Atlanta Con-
stitutiOn. But that intellect was not
ashamed to bow 10 Christ.
Among his last dying utterances was re-
quest for the prayers of the churches in his
behalf
There was that particular quality in him
that you do not find in more than one person
out of hundreds of thousands-namely, per-
sonal magnetism. People have tried to de-
fine that quality, and always failed. yet we
have all felt it's power. There are some per-
sons who have only to enter a room or step
upon platform or into pulpit and you are
thrilled by their presence, and when they
speak your nature responds and you cannot
help it. What is the peculiar influence with
which such magnetic person takes hold of
social groups and audiences? Without at
tempting to define this, which is indehnable,
l will say it seems to correspond to the waves
OF air set in motion by the voice or the
movements of the body. Just like that
atmospheric vibration is the moral
or spiritual vibration which rolls out from
the soul of what we call a magnetic person.
As there may be cord or rope binding bod
les together, there may be an invisible cord
binding souls. A magne tic man throws it
over as q hunter throws u lasso. Mr.. Grady
was surcharged with this influence and it
was employed for patriotism and Christian
ity and elevated purposes.
You may not know why, in the converse
ton which l had with Mr. Gladstone a few
weeks ago, he uttered these memorable words
about Christianity, some of which were
cabled to America. He was speaking in re-
ply to this remark: l said, "Mr. Gladstone,
We are told in America by some people that
Christianity does very we'll 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 Intellectual
ity, as being pronounced friend Of religion,
We silence their batteries" Then Mr.. Glad
stone stopped on the hillside where we were
exercising and said: ''The older grow. the
more confirmed am in my faith in religion"
'Sir. said he with flashing eye and up,ifted
hand, "ralk about the questions of the day.
there ia but one question, and that il the
Gospel. That con and will correct every
thing. Do you have any of that dreadful
agnosticism in American" Having told him
we had, he went on to say: II am profoundly
thankful that none of my children or kindred
have been blasted by it. I am glad to say
that about all the men at the top in Great
Britain are Christians. Why: sir" he
ton So years. and ~ years in the cabin
tot the Rristish government, and during
those 47 years have been associated with
60 of the master minds of the century, and
all but FIVE of the so we're Christians" He
then named the four leading physicians and
surgeons Of his country, calling them by
name and remarking upon the high qualities,
thoroughly Christians" My friends, think
it will be quite respectable for little longer
to be the friends of religion. William E..
Gladstone, Christian; Henry W. Grady, a
Christian. What the greatest of Englishmen
said of England is true of America and all
Christendom. The men at the top are
the friends of God and belly Sers in
eminent of the lawyers the most eminent of
the doctors, the most eminent of the mer-
chants, 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 answer to
the question put last spring. "Can a secular
in the Affirmative, hut assert that so great
are the responsibilities of that profession SO
intimate and eternal the consequences oftheir
obedience or disobedience of the words of my
text. Take thee great roll, and write in it
with a mans pen," and SO many are the sur
rounding temptations, that the men of no
other profession more deeply Heed the de-
lenses and the requirements of the grace Of
God.
And then look at the opportunities o! jour
nalism. praise the pulpit and magnify my
Office. but state q fact you all know when
I say that where the pulpit touches one per-
son the press touches 500. The vast major
ity of people do not go to church, but all in
tellIgent people read the newspapers. While,
the relore, the responsibility OF the ministers
is great, the responsibility of editors and re-
porters is greater. Come, brotherjournalists
aud 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 COM
mitted the precious reputation OF men and
Spread before our children an elevated lit
erature. Make sin appear disgusting and
virtue admirable. Believe good rather than
evil While you show up the hypocrisies of
the church, show up the stupendous hypocri-
sizes outside the church Be not as some of
you are, the mere echoes of public opinion;
make public opinion. Let the great roll on
age of light and liberty and kindness and an
awakening otmoral power. But who is sui
fcient for these things? Not one of you
without divine help. But get that influence
and the editors and reporters can go up and
take this world for God and the truth. The
mightiest opportunity in all the world for
usefulness to-day is open before editors and
reporters and publishers, whether of knowl-
edge on foot, as in the book, or knowledge
on tho 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, aud that
you may be divinely helped and rescued and
blessed.
Some one might say to me: Chow can
you talk thus Of the newspaper press, when
you yourself have sometimes been unfairly
treated and misrepresentation" l answer that
in the opportunity the newspaper press of
this country and other countries have given
me week by week to preach the gospel to
the nations, I am put under so much Obliga
ton that DEFY all editors and reporters,
the world over, to write anything that shall
call forth from me one word OF bitter retort
%h~ ln ~