The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1890-03-06

As there may be cord or
les together, there may be.
binding souls. magnetic
over as a hunter throws u lass,
was surcharged with this inhue
was employed for patriotism ano
ity and elevated purposes.
You may not know why, in the
tion which / had with Mr.. Gladston,
W eeks ago, heuttered these memorable
about Christianity, some of which
cabled TO America. He was speaking in
nlE +n this This, rcInark. said - aiIadsfnnet t
Christianity does very well for weak minded
men and children in the infant class, but it is
!. not it for stronger minded men; but when
we mention you Of such large intellectual
ity, as being a pronounced friend OF religion,
We silence tLLif batteries. Then Mr. Glad
stone stopped on the hillside where we we're
exercising and said: 'The older grow. the
more confirmed am in my faith in religion"
''Sir. said he, with flashing eye and upifted
hand "Talk about the questions OF the day,
there ia but one question, and that Is the
Gospel. That can 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: Il am profoundly
thankful that none of my children or kindred
have been blasted by it. l am glad to say
that about all the men at the top in Great
Britain are Christians. Why; sir" he
said, 81 have been in public posi-
ton SO years, and At years in the cabin
ct OF the Bristish government, and during
those At years have been associated with
so ftbe master minds of the century, and
all but five of the so were Christians" 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 Christians" Ny friends, think
it will be quite respectable for a little longer
to be the friends of religion. William E.
Id I,-
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 believers in
the sanctities of religion, the most
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 had company. In answer to
the question put last spring. "Can secular
journalist be Christian?" not only answer
in the affirmative, hut assert that SO great
are the responsibilities of that profession, SO
intimate and eternal the consequences of their
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 need the de-
fenses and the reenforcements of the grace of
| God.
| And then look at the opportunities OF Jour
| nalism. praise the pulpit and magnify my
| office, but state a fact you all know when
| l 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
| telIigent people read the newspapers. While,
rIsSretore, the responsibility of the ministers
is great, the onsibility of editors and re-
porters IL greater. Come, brother journalists
n hx-4 lo.-s
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
the more precious reputation of women
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
which you write with mans pen be a mess
age of light and liberty and kindness and an
awakening oil moral power. But who is suf.
ficient 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 ell the world for
usefulness to-day is open before editors and
reporters and publishers, whether of knewl-
edge on foot as in the book, OF knowledge
on the wing, as in the newspaper. l 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. ~
Some one might say to maS-" How can
you talk thus of the newspaper press, when
you yourself have sometimes been unfaifiy--
treated and misrepresented?" | answer that
in the opportunity the newspaper press of
1fPxy nd oth h,x-
me week by week to preach the gospel to
the nations, am put under so much cbliga>
ton that | DEFY all editors and reporters.
the world over, to write anything that shall
call forth from me one word oil bitter retort
from now till the day Of my death, Myopin,
ion is, that all reformers and religious teach
ers, instead of spending so much time and
energy in denouncing the press, had better
spend more time in thanking them for what
they have done for the worlds intelligence
and declaring their magnificent opportunity
and urging their employment of it all for
benefcent and righteous purposes.
| Again I remark that Henry w. Grady
stood for Christian patriotism, irrespective
| of political spoiis. He declined all official
reward, He could have been Governor #
| Georgia, but he re used it. He could have
been senator of the United States, but declin-
ed it. He remained plain Mr.. Grady, Near
| ly all the other orators OF the political arena,
! as soon as the elections are over, GO to
Washington, or Albany, or Harrisburg, or
| Atlanta, to get in city or state or nation
oil Office reward for their services, and not
gett;..g what they want spend the rest Of
/ that administration in pouting about the
management of public affairs or reursing Har-
rison or Cleveland. When the great political
campaigns were over Mr.. Grady went home
to his newspaper. he demonstrated that it
is possible to toll for principals which he
thought to be right, simply because they
were right. Christian patriotism is too rare
o commodity in this country. Surely
the joy of living under such free in
| stitutions as those established here
ought to be enough reward for Political fdel-
| ity. Among all the great writer's that
stood at the last presidential election on
| Democratic and Republican platforms YOU
| cannot recall In your mind ten who were not
themselves looking for remuueratire ap-
/ pointments. Aye, you can count them all
on the fingers of one hnnd. The most Illus
trious specimen OF that style of man for the
last ten years was Henry ", Grady.
Again, Mr.. Grady stood for the new South
and was Just what we want to meet three
other men, one to speak for the new North.
another for the new East and another for
the new West The bravest speech made for
| the last quarter OF century was that made
by Mr.. Grady at the New England dinner in
New York about two or three years ago. I
sat with hirn that evening and know some
thing of his anxieties, for he was to tread on
dangerous ground, and might by one mis-
spoken word have antagonized forever both
sections. His speech was victory that
thrilled all Off who heard him and all who
read him. That speech, great for wisdom,
great fer Kindness great for paciication,
great for bravery will go down to the gener.
ations with Webster's apeech at Bunker Hill.
William Wirt's speech at the arraignment OF
aaron Burr, Edmund Burke's speech on
Warren Hastings, Robert Emmet's speech
for his own vindiOation.