New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1890-03-05

SIMPLY heard OF his departure without any OF
the particulars, concluded that he was ready
| to go. warrant there was no fright in the
last exigency, but that he found what is com
monty called 1.-THE last enemy q good friend,
i and from his home on earth he went to
home in heaven. Yes Mr. Grady not only
dem onstrated that an editor may be
| Christian, but that a very great intellect
may be gospolized. His mental capacity
4 was SO wonderful it was almost startling, /
/ have been with him in active conversation
| while at the same time he was debating to a
stenoyrapher editorials for the Atlanta Con-
stitution. But that intellect was not
| ashamed to bow t o 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 findin 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 its power. There are some per-
sons who have only to enter 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 1T. 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 indefnable,
VIII say 1T seems to correspond to the waves
OF air set in motion by the voice or the
!
atmospheric vibration is the moral
or spiritual vibration which rolls out from
the soul OF what we call magnetic person.
AS there may be cord or rope binding bod
les together, there may be an invisible cord
binding souls. magnetic man throws it
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 / had with Mr.. Gladstone few
weeks ago, heuttered these memorable words
about Christianity, some of which were
cabled to America. He was speaking in re-
ply to this remark: I 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 tit for stronger minded men; but when
we mention you Of such large Intellectual
1ty, as being pronounced friend ofreligion,
| we silence their batteries" Then Mr.. Glad
stone stopped on the hillside where we We're
exercising and said: sThe older grow. the
more confirmed am in my faith in religion"
.'Sir. said he, with flashing eye and upiifted
hand, "ralk about the questions OF the day,
there is 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: II am profoundly
thankful that none of my children or kindred
have been blasted by it. am glad to say
that about all the men at the top in Great
said, 81 have been in public posi-
ton So years, and At years in the cabin
ct OF the Bristish government, and during
those ~ years have been associated with
80 ofthe 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 My friends l think
it will be quite respectable for little longer
| to be the friends of religion. William E.
Gladstone, a 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 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 mountaineering, am sorry that you
the question put last spring. "Can secular
| Journalist be Christian" | not only answer
| in the affirmative but 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
| i d.
i with a mans pen,' and so many are the sur
rounding temptations, that the men of no
other profession more deeply need the de-
lenses and the requirements 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
| say that where the pulpit touches ono per-
| son the press touches 500. The vast major
| ity of people do not go to church, but oil in
4 telligent people read the newspapers. While,
therefore, the responsibility OF the ministers
is great the responsibility of editors and re-
| porters is greater. Come, brother journalists,
and get your ordination. not by the laying
on of human hands. but by the laying on of
the hands of the Almighty, Toyou 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 prtblic opinion. Let the great roll on
| which Won write with a mans pen be q mess
age of light and liberty and kindness and an
awakening OF moral power. But who is suf-
fcient for these things? Not one of you
without divine help. But get that influence
and the editorsand 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 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.
Some one might say to me: How can
| you talk thus OF the newspaper press, when
you yourself have sometimes been unfairly
treated and nisrepresented?" / 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. am put under so much obliga-
ton that I DEFY all editors 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 Myopin-
ion is that oil reformers and religious teach
ers, instead of spending 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 ma gnificent opportunity
/ nd of oil fo,.