Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-13
THE FOURTH ESTATE.
Delegates at the Ecumenical on, the
Religious Newspaper,
ITS FUNCTIONS AND ITS TRIALS.
Not ALI Agreed as to Whether It Should
Discuss Politics.
ATKINSON RAISES A LIVELY TILT

of to-day's session of the Methodist Ecu
menical Council, and another colored dele
gate delivered the opening prayer. Bishop
Hood, ofthe African Methodist Episcopal
Zion Church, of Fayetteville, N. c., was
the former, and Bishop Gaines, of the
African Methodist Episcopal Church, was
the latter Another colored man, Rev. DR..
c. H. Phillips, of the A. NJ. E. Church, Of
Washington, read the Scripture lesson.
The topic of the morning session was
''The Church and Her Agencies" and
Bishop R. S. Foster, of Massachusetts, pro-
ceeded to address the council on "The Re-
sponsibilities and Qualifications of the
Preacher" Rev. John Bond, of the
Wesleyan Methodist Church, London, Eng,
followed with an address.
An address was made by Rev. William
H. Day, African NJ E. Zion Church, Har-
risburg, on "Church Agencies In the FIVE
minute discussion of the topic under con-
sideration. Bishop c. D. Foster, of Phila-
delphia, spoke on the intellectual and
spiritual equipment of preachers. Several
others made short talks, and the session
then took recess until 8 o'clock. At 80
President Harrison held reception for the
delegates, who were introduced by Bishop
John F. Hurst, of Washington, D. c.
A P1TTsBURG PREACHERS VIEWS
Among the delegates who followed Bishop
Foster in short talks was Rev. G. w. Clin-
ton, of Pittsburg, who said that the preacher
was an ambassador of Christ, and that he
should give an adequate idea of his heavy
responsibility. Singleness of purpose was
a pre-eminent qualification. He should be
able to turn all knowledge into the single
useful purpose which he must have in
mind.
When the Council reassembled Rev. NJ.
T. Meyers of the United Methodist Church,
Rochdale, Eng, took the chair. The topic
for discussion was: "The Religious Press
and the Religious Uses of the Secular
Press" Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, of Lon
don, delivering the essay.
DR.. Hughes began with a history of the
birth of the journal, the first daily appear
ing, he said, in 1909. There were now
this great agency had rarely received the
consideration of the churches? 1t was now
the fourth estate, the greatest engine of the
world, and became so without the aid of the
church or its blessings. Christian churches
must face the fact that this great engine
was in the hands of men who were in some
cases Indifferent to the church, and in others
absolutely full of hatred for it.
THE FUNCTIONS OF A NEWSPAPER.
What are the functions of this engine?
First, to collect news, and enormous were
the expense and results. Through the tel
,,,trh@ Iporr hot
spired in the whole world. Christ con-
demned the religious man who did not know
the signs of the times. A great function of
the press was the definition of public opin-
ion. 1t was we'll to know the prevailing
opinion, no matter what it was. Another
function of the press was to influence the
public; to impress upon it the views of the
editor.
1t has been said that the newspaper is
mightier than the pulpit. and perhaps that
estimate was not too high. The powers of
journalism, used on the right side, was
enormous and irresistible. The great ma
jority, even of Christians, were so preoccu-
pied that they did not realize the evils that
existed under their eyes. For the creation
of public opinion in these swift days the
press was supreme. Ifso disposed the edit
ors of the daily papers could render meal
religious press should never be used for po-
litical purposes Hear, hear. ], and it should
extend its work in learning and recording
the progress of Gods work on earth.
sKEPTICIsM OF THE PRESS.
1t has been said that large proportion
of the journalists of the secular press were
skeptics or agnostics. That might be so,
yet there were certain phases of the Chris
tian religion that even the agnostic Jour
nalist might and did believe to be good and
worthy of extension. Everybody recog-
nized the fact that the day of the coming of
the kingdom of heaven on earth is near.
''The preacher had learned from the Jour
nalist," said Dr. Hughes in conclusion, s'and
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. Fr. E. n. Dewart, editor of the
Christian Guardian, of Toronto, held that the
church had not yet found sufficiently high
estimate of the influence of the religious
press and had not used it to its full capacity
for good. ANY instrument that could be
made the instrument OF carrying light and
truth to darkened minds, was sacred enough
to be used in the Masters service by the
saintliest hands. The same reasons which
justified the use of the pulpit and the plat
form justified the use of the church journals.
RELIGIOUS PAPERS NOT ORGANS.
'The religious press should not be re-
garded as a rival to the pulpit. 1t supple
ments and backs up the teachings of the
preacher. The church must have her own
press as we'll as her pulpits, but dislike
to hear the religious paper called the organ
of the church, as if its main business was
to voice the authoritative utterances of the
like papal syllabus; or as if
it was an instrument on which certain tunes
were to be played to order.
''In times of moral degeneraey, when the
public conscience is psralyzed by selfish
views of duty, the religious press should
rebuke prevailing sins, whether
it brings popularity or opposition and re-
proach. A time-serving press is the curse
of any country.
"The church paper should be liberal in
spirit, but loyal to Christian truth. While
open to the reception of all duly attested
truth, whether in harmony with previous
beliefs or not, the religious paper that will
be a power for good must not be a tempor-
izing weathercock.
RELIGIOUS PAPERS AND POLITICS.
Rev. DR.. Joseph F. Ferguson, President
Of the Primitive Methodist Church of En-
gland, could not say Amen to all that had
been said, and especially where he said
that religious papers should not take cog
nizance of politics. Cries of ooh. no. 81
In England there were thousands of people
hat received their politics not from The
daily papers, but from the weekly religious
journal. Occasionally it becomes 1eces-
,sry that religious political questions
should be treated by them. [Murmurs of
Ha uou1d