Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-13
PRESS AND PULPIT.
Influence of Each in Spir-
itual Matters.
What the Qualifications of a
Preacher Should Be.
Should Religious Newspapers NEEDLE
in Politics.
A Breezy Debate Precipitated In the
Methodist Ecumenical Council
by a British Member of
Parliament.
AauOclated Press pispatches.

N~N->'c-'@~~N 4 Acoo OAoA'@eCnco.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-THE fifth day
of the Ecumenical Methodist council
opened with Bishop Hood, of the Afri-
can M. E. Zion church, Fayette, N. c.,
in the chair. The religious services of
the great council were conducted by
three colored men. The topic for the
morning session was The Church and
Her Agencies, and Bishop R. S. Foster,
of Massachusetts, proceeded to address
the council on the Responsibilities and
Qualifications of the Preacher.
Bishop Foster said the preacher needed
high qualities OF mind and proper quail
ties of body. He should know that
about which he spoke; he should be
man of experience; he must consider
his environments and the people he ad-
dressed; he must be able to recognize
the distractions that stand in the way
of his mission. Preachers be-
came at times imbecile in
their efforts because of lack
of knowledge of the way to go about
their mission. No man could think of
God understandingly who did not under
stand His power as manifested in His
works; SO when those to whom he
breaches came to the preacher with
doubt, he should be able to grapple with
those doubts, overcome them and show
them the way to the truths of the
gospel.
Rev. John Bond, of London, followed
Bishop Foster in brief address in the
same strain.
Rev. Frank Ballard, of London, and
Rev. g. w. Clinton, of Pittsburg, also
spoke, and Rev. DIR. Leonard, of New
York, closed the morning session with
a few remarks condemnatory of preach
ers who invite doubt by delivering SER
mons on Darwinism and on Huxley.
During recess the delegates were re-
ceived at the white house by President
and Mrs. Harrison.
At the afternoon session the topic for
discussion was The Religious Press and
Religious Uses of the Secular Press,
Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, OF London,
being the essayist. 1t was strange, said
DIR. Hughes, that this great agency--the
press-has rarely received the considera-
tion of the churches. TWAS now one of the
greatest engines of the world, and be-
came so without the aid of the church
or its blessings. The Christian churches
must face the fact that this great engine
is in the hands of men who were in
some cases indifferent to the church,
and in others absolutely full of hatred
for it. For the creation OF public opin-
ion in these swift days, the press is
supreme. If so disposed, the editors of
the daily papers could render incalcula-
BILE service to the cause of God. The
l1ors< Oh Il L., g..
political purposes, (Hear Hear y, and
it should do its work in learning and
recording the progress OF Gods work on
earth.
''The preachers have learned from the
Journalists" said Mr.. Hughes in con-
clusion, land God grant that they
may now learn little from us,
for, united, we and the journalists can
hasten the creation of that state which
Christ is bringing to all lands, in which
there shall be no room for, or sign of
misery
Rev. F. H. Stewart, editor of the
Christian Guardian, OF Toronto, held
that the church had not yet formed a
sufficiently high estimate of the inhu-
ence of the religious press, and had no t
used it to its full capacity for good. The
religious press should not be regarded
as rival to the pulpit. 1t supple
mented and backed up the teaching of
the preacher. He disliked to hear
a religious paper called an 'organ"
of the church, as if it's main business was
to voice the authoritative utterances Of
denomination, like papal syllabus,
or as if it was an instrument on which
certain tunes were to be played in order.
In times OF moral degeneracy, when
Il L.. 1l-l,
views of duty, the religious press should
fearlessly rebuke the prevailing sins,
whether it bring popularity or opposi-
tion and reproach. The church paper
should be liberal in spirit, but loyal to
the Christian truth.
Rev. DR.. Ferguson, president of the
Primitive Methodist church, could not
say amen to DIR. Hughes's assertion that
religious papers should not take cogni-
zance of politics. In England there were
thousands of people that received their
politics, not from the daily papers, but
from the weekly religious journals.
Occasionally it became necessary that
religIo-politieal question should be treat
ed by them. [Murmurs of disapproval.l
He would not go further into that sub
ject, because he saw it troubled his
Wesleyan friends. Cries of "Oh, no. ~
He had been told that many parts of
this great country were influenced
strongly by the Roman Catholic power.
1t might be because that power was con-
centrated, but it might also be because
of their use of the press. The churches
should ally themselves with the daily
press; give the press their sympathy.
Very few of the men who stood at the
head of the great dailies would regret
that alliance. The great questions of
the day, questions of science, morality
and religion, should be dealt with, not
in the pulpit but in the press.
Rev. E. E. Hass, of Nashville, Tenn,
said religious newspapers had not kept
pace with the secular press in de-
velopment, though their improvement
had been great. A religious paper
should have an expert corps of as
sistants to the chief editor. Attention
should be given to the advertising
columns. There has been much sim
ming, but there was not so much now,
although he did see an advertisement of
q quack medicine consumptive cure, OPP
posite an unctious article on help to the
higher life. [Great laughter
Rev. DIR. Buckley, editor Of the Chris
fian Advocate, believed weekly
religious paper had greater influence
in manufacturing public opinion than a
daily. He was severe in his criticisms