Homer guardian., 1890-03-07
, NO. 13S

four leading pl ysicians and sur
%cons OF his country. calling them
by name and rcmalking upon the
high qualities OF each Of them, and
added,
THEY ARE ALL THOROUGHLY CHRIS
TIAN.
My friends, I think it will he
quite respectable for little Ion
Ger to be the friends Of religion.
William L. Gladstone. Chris,
tan; Henry W. Grady. 4 Chris
tian. What the greatest of Eng
LiShmen said Of England is true
OF America and of all Christcn-
dom. The men at the top are the
friends OF God and believers in
the sanctilles 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 your ac-
QualntanceshIp, | am sorry that
You have fallen into bad compa-
ny. In answer to the question
put last Spring, Can u secular
Journalist be a Christian?' not
only answer IN The affirmative. ,
but assert that SO great arc the
responsibilities of that profession,
50 infinite and eternal the conse-
Quenccs Of their obedience or dis
obedience cr The words of my text.
''Iake thee a great roll and write
III 1t with q man. s pen and SO
many are the surrounding templa-
lions that the men of no other
profession more deeply need The
deIenses and The reiniorcements
ol the grace Of God.
And then look at the opporlu-
mites ofJoHrnalism. | praise the
pulpit and magnify my office, but
| state a fact winch you all know
when | say that where the pulpit
touches one person the press
touches 500. The vast majority
of people do not 60 to church, but
all intelligent people read the
newspapers. While, therefore, the
responsibility of the ministers is
great, The responsibility of editors
and reporters is greater. Come,
brother Journalists, and get ordi.
nation, not by laying on of human
hands of the Almighty. 70 you
is committed the precious reputa-
zion of men and the mere precl-
Gus reputation of women. Spread
before our children an elevated
literature. Make sin appear dis
gushing and virtue admirable. Be.
lieve God rather than evil. While
you show up the hypocrisies of
the church, show up the stupen.
dous hypocrlsies outside the
church. BE not, as some of YOU
are, The mere echoes of apublic
opinion; make public opinion.
Let the great roll on which you
write with a mans pen be a mes.
sage Of light and liberty and kind,
ness and an awakening of moral
power. But who is sufficient 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
mlghtiest opportunity IN all the
world for usefulness to day is open
before editors and reporters and
publishers, whether of knowledge
Oh foot, as in the book, Or knowl-
edge on the wing, as in the news.
paper. / pray God, men Of the
newspaper press, whether you hear
OF read this sermon, that you may
rise up to your full opportunity,
and that you may be diylnsly
helped and rescued and blessed.
Some one might say to me;
''How can you talk thus of the
newspap.r press, when you your
self have sometimes been unfairly
treated and misrepresented" l
answer that in the opportunity
the newspaper press Of this coun-
try and other counties have given
me week by week to preach the
Gospel to the nations, | am put
under so much ob'iga IONS that |
dpfy uil n1iinrs an1 r.nort nro tho