The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-05-01

where the pulpit touches one person
the press touches five hundred. The
vast majority of people do not go to
church, but all intelligent people
read the newspapers. While, there
fore, the responsibility of the
ministers is great, the response
bility of editors and reporters is greater.
Come, brother journalists, and get your
ordination, not by the laying on Of hu.
man hands, but by the laying on Of the
hands of the Almighty To you is eom-
fhitted the precious reputation of men
and the more precious reputation OF
women. Spread before our chill
dren an elevated literature. Make
sin appear disgusting and virtue adj
mirable. Believe good rather than evil.
While you show up the hypocrisies of
the church, show up the stupendous
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 mans pen be a message of light,
and liberty, and kindness, and an awak-
ening 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 mightiest oppor-
tunity in all the world for use fitness
to-day is open before editors, and report
ers, and publishers, whether of knowl-
edge on foot, as in the book, or knowl-
edge on the wing as in the newspaper.
Some one might say to me: ''How can
you talk thus of the newspaper press,
when you yourself have som shines been
unfairly treated and misrepresentation"
[ 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 l am put under so much
obligation that l defy all editors and fe-
porters the world over to write any
thing that shall call forth from fne ole
word of bitter retort from now till the
day of my death. My opinion is that
ala reformers and religious teachers,
instead of spending so much time
and energy in denouncing the press,
had better spend more time in thank
ing them for what they have done for
the worlds intelligence and declaring
their magnificent opportunity and urg-
ing their employment of it all for be-
t1eficent and righteous purposes.
Again, | remark that Henry w.
Grady stood for Christian patriotism
irrespective of political spoils. He de-
clined all official reward. He could
have been Governor of Georgia, but re-
fused it. He could have been Senator
of the United States, but de-
clined it. He remained plain
Mr.. Grady. Nearly 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 Ma
tioTial office reward for their services,
and not getting what they want spend
the rest of the time of that administra-
ton in pouting about the management
of public affairs or cursing Harrison or
Cleveland. When the great political
campaigns were over Mr.. Grady went
home to his newspaper. He demon
strated that 1t is possible to toll for
principles which he thought to be right,
simply because they were right. Chris
tian patriotism is too rare commodity
in this country. Surely the Joy of hv-
ing under such free institutions Us
those established here ought to be
enough reward for political fdeli-
ty. Among all the great writer's that
stood at the last Presidential election
ON Democratic and Republican plat
forms you can not recall in your mind
ten who were not themselves looking
for remunerative appointments. Aye,
you can count them all on the fingers of
one hand. The most illustrious speci-
men of that style of man for the last
ten years was Henry w. Grady
May God comfort that torn-up South
ern home and all the homes of this
country and of all the world which have
been swept by this plague of influenza,
which has deepened sometimes into
pneumonia and sometimes into typhus
and the victims of which are counted
by the ten thousand! Satan, who is the
'prince of the power of the air." has
been poisoning the atmosphere in all
nations. Though it is the first time in
our remembrance, he has done the same
thing before. In 1896 the unwholesome
!. air of Cairo, Egypt, destroyed the life
of ten thousand in one day, and in Con-
stantinople in 1714 three hundred thou
sand people died of it. am glad that
by the better sanitation of our
cities and wider understanding
of hygienic laws and the great
er skill of physicians these
Apollyonic assaults upon the human race
are being resisted but pestilential at
mosphere is still abroad Hardly a
family here but has felt it's lighter or
heavier touch. Some of the best of my
flock fell under its power and many
homes here represented have
been crushed. The. fact is the
biggest failure in the universe
is this world if there be no
Heaven beyond. But there is, and the
friends who have gone there are many
and very dear. Oh, fearful eyes, look
up to the hills crimsoning with eternal
morn! That reunion kiss will more
, than make up for the parting kiss, and
the welcome will obliterate the good
bye. THE Lamb which is in