The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-03-12

The men at the top are the friends Of
God and believers in the sanctities OF
religion, the most eminent OF the law.
yers, the most eminent OF the doctors,
the most eminent Of the merchants, and
there are no better mon in all our land
than some of those who sit in editorial
chairs. And II that does not correspond
with your acquaintanceship, l am sorry
that you have fallen into bad company.
In answer to the question put last
spring, Can a secular journalist be a
Christian" I not only answer in the
affirmative, but assert that so great
are the responsibilities of that profes.
sion, so infinite and eternal the consc-
quences of their obedience or disobedi-
ence 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 mon OF
no other profession more deeply need
the defenses and the reinforcements Of
the grace of God.
And then look at the opportunities Of
journalism. praise the pulpit and
magnify my Office, but ! state fact
which you all know when l say that
where the pulpit touches one person the
press touches five hundred. The vast
majority of people do not 60 to church,
but all intelligent people read the news.
papers. While, therefore, the RESPONSE
bility OF the ministers is great, the re-
sponsibility Of editors and reporters 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. To you
is committed the precious reputation Of
men and the more precious reputation OF
women. Spread before our children all
elevated literature. Make sin appear
disgusting and virtue admirable. Be-
lieve good rather than evil. While you
show up the hypocrisies of the church,
show up the stupendous hypocrisies out
side 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, DO
a message 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 20 up and take this
world for God and the truth.
The mightiest opportunity in all the
world for usefulness to-day is open be-
fore editors and reporters and publish
ers, whether Of knowledge on foot, as in
the book, or knowledge on the wing, az
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 misrepresentation
1 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 ma
tions, am put under so much obliga
ton that defy all editors and report
ers the world over to write any thing
+th6t'shall call forth from me one word
OF bitter retort from now till the day OF
my death. My opinion is that all re
formers and religious teachers, instead
of spending so much time and energy in
denouncing the press, had better spend
more time in thanking them for wha
they have done for the worlds intelli
gence and declaring their magnificent
opportunity and urging their employ
ment of it all for benefcent and right
eous purposes.
Again, remark that Henry w. Grad!
stood for Christian patriotism irrespec
tive of political spoils. He declined al
official reward. He could have beef
Governor of Georgia, but refused it. HI
!, could have been Senator of the United
, States, but declined it. He RENAME,
! plain Mr.. Grady. Nearly all the othe
> orators of the political arena, as sool
as the elections are over, 90 to Wash
, ington, or Albany, or Harrisburg, or AT
lanta, to get in city or State or Nationa
Office reward for their services. and no
a getting what they want they spend tn
= rest of the time of that Administrator
, in pouting about the management O
). public affairs, or cursing Harrison Q
g Cleveland. When the great politica
+. campaigns were over Mr. Grady wen
home to his newspaper He demonstra;
ed that it is possible to toll for princi
4 pies which he thought to be right, sim
9 ply because they were right.
a Christian patriotism is too rare CON
h modify IN this country. Surely the io
;. Of living under such free institutions a
/. those established here ought to b
, enough reward for political fidelity
q Among all the great writer's that stoo,
J.. at the last Presidential election o
f. Democratic and Republican platforms
q you can not recall in your minds tie
: who were not themselves looking fc
!. remunerative appointments. Aye, 70
~ can count them all on the fingers G
a one hand. The most illustrious spec
/. men Of that style of man for the last to-
I years was Henry W. Grady.
d Again, Mr.. Grady stood for the me-
|, South and was lust what we want to NEE
@ in three other men, one to speak for tn
d new North, another for the new Eas
IL and another for the new West. Tn
v bravcst speech made for the last quartz
: of century was thatmade by Mr.. Grad
It at the New England dinner in New Yor
IL about two or three years ago. l sat wit