The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-13
ECUMENICAL COUNCIL.
An Animated Discussion en- The Influence
Of The Religious Press.

! with Bishop Hood of the African NJ f..
| Zion Church Of Fayette n. c., in the chair.
The opening services of the great council
were conducted by three colored men.
The tOpcfo the morning session was 1.-The
! Church and Her Agencies" and Bishop r.
S. Foster of Massachusetts, proceeded to ad-
dress the council on 1.-THE Responsibilities
and QualificA tiOns of the Preacher"
Bishop Foster said preacher needed high
| qualities of mind and proper qualities of
| body He should know that about which
he spoke; he should be a man of expert
ence; he must consider his environments
and the people he addressed; must be able
| to recognize the distractions that stood in
the way of his mission. Preachers became
| at times lmbeciie in their efforts because of
| lack OF knowledge uf the way to go about
their mission. No man could think Of God
! understandingiy who did not understand his
| Uower as manifested in his works, SO when
those to whom he preached came to the
| teacher with doubt he should be able to
| grappe with those d0ubts-OvercOme them
and show them the way 10 the truths OF the
| gospel.
Rev John Bond of London followed
Bishop Foster in brief address in the sam e
strain Rev. Frank Ballard of London. Rev.
| G. w. Clinton of Pittsburg also spoke, and
Rev. DR.. Leonard Of New York closed the
morning sesSinn with few remarks con-
|
/ by delivering ser mons on DdrWinlSm and
| on Huxley.
! During the recess the delegates were re-
| ceived at the White House by President
and Mrs. Harrison.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
At the afternoon session the topic for dis
cussiOn was THE Religious Press and the
Religious Uses of the Secular Press" Rev.
| Hugh Price Hughes of London being tie
essayist. 1t was strange, said Rev. Dr.
| Hughes. that this great agency, the press,
| has rarely received the consideration OF the
| churches. 1t was now the fourth estate the
| greatest engine CT 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 thr 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
opinion in these swift days the press was
supreme. If so disposed, the editors Of
daily papers couidrender incalcllabe service
to the cause of God. The religious press
| should never he used for political purposes.
| Hear. Hearl Aud it should do Its work
| in learning aud recording the progress Of
| Go IS work on earth. Tine preacher had
learned FROM the journalist, said Mr.. Hughes
in conclusion, and God grant that they may
| now learn a little from US. For united, we
and the journalists can hasten the creation
| of that state which Christ is bringing to all
lands in W ich there shall be no room for
| or sign Of misery.
Rnv T. II. Dewart, editor of the Chris
| tian Guardian of Toronto, held that the
| church ha1 not yet formed a sufficiently
| high estimate of the influence Of the religi-
| Gus press. and had not used it 20 its full ca
| pacty for good. The religious press shou
not be regarded as rival to the pulpit. 1t
! supplemented and backed up the teachings
| of the preacher. He dSllked tn hear a re-
ligiouS paper called Z" the organ Of the
! church, as If its main business was to voice
| the authoritative utterauces of denOmnl-
ton, or as if it was an instrument on which
certain tunes were to un played to order. In
| times of moral deyeueracy, when the public
conscience is paralyZcd by selfish views of
duty, the religious press should iearlessly
| rebuke the prevailing sins, whether 1t
| preach. A church paper should be liberal
in spirit, but loyal to Christian truth.
THE PRESS IN POLITICS.
Rev. DR.. Ferguson. President CT the PIim-
| tive Methodist Church of England, could no t
say amen to DR.. Hughes assertion that tn
! religious papers should not take cogaizan ce
| of politics. Iu England there were thOus-
ands of people that received their politics
not from the daily papers, but from the
| weekly religious journals. Occasionally 1t
| became necessary that reli9Io-politlcal
questions should be treated by them. Muir
nurs OF disapprovall He would not go
further into that subject, because, he said,
it troubled his Wesleyan friends. [Cries of
| oh, nog Churches should ally themselves
with the daily press, and give the press
their sympathy. Very few of the men who
| stood at the head of the great dailies would
regret that alliance Great questions of the
| day, questions of science morality and re-
ligion should be dealt with, not IN the pulpit,
| but in the press.
Rev. E. L. Foss of Nashville, Tenn, said
the religious mad not kept pace with the
secular press in Development though the
improvement had been great. Religious
papers should have expert corps of assist
ants to the chief editor. Attention should
be given to the advertising columns. There
| had been much SHINING, but 1t was not so
much now. although he did see an adyer-
tisement OF quack medlcine-consumptio
cure-oppUsite an unctuous article on help
TO higher life. [Great laughter.l
Rev. DR.. Buckley, editor of the Christian
Advocate, believed the weekly religious
papers had greater influence in manufactur-
ing public opinion than the dailes. He was
severe in his criticisms upon the secular
| press for its treatment of serious topics,
laughing at suicides and publishing detailed
reports OF scandalous divorce cases.
A LAYMAN's VIEWS.
John Fl. Lyle of London said that laymen
| should be heard on this subject. He had
gone into many store in New York, Bos-
ton and Washington aud tried in vain to
buy religious paper. The English re-
lirlous press also needed Improvement, and
he hoped religious daily paper would be
| brought forth. London sporting papers had
larger circulation than all the religious
| papers.
MIR. Atkinson, an English member of Par
| lisment, thought that religious papers should
take no account of political matters. he
was proud of DIR. Hughes as preacher, but
was not and never should be proud OF him
as an editor. "When DR.. Hughes was in
| vited to come down from his high place as
| n preacher to aid decrepit party he said he
| "a down there
cred himself of q sentence almost as near
| blasphemy as religious man could have
come" The gavel fell at this point, but
Atkinson called out: "lt was merely a
question as to how Jesus Christ would
speak on the Irish question"
exhibition OF FEELING.
Rev. DR.. Balmer of England aroused Mr..
Atkinson by expressing gratitude to DR..
Hughes, and adding that condemnation by
some speakers was equivalent to the praise
of others, whereupon MIR. Atkinson with
some spirit demanded to know, If that
sort of insinuation is to be brought forward
on another brother?"
The Chairman restored order and DIR.
Balmer withdrew his remark, but soon
aroused Atkinson again by referring to a
that one of the English political parties had
ridden into power on beer-barre, and
adding: "We never learned that their body
was divorced from the beer barrel"
| Atkinson replied, exclledly, mat party
never was married TO it,
Dr. Bamer rejoined he was 'SiXty years
Of age and as competent to form Judgment
as others"
At this stage DR.. Morley of New Zealand
raised the point of order that English poll
ties could not be discussed in the confer
ence.
DR.. Balmer said his illusions had been
called forth by the preceding speakers and
re hoped he would be allowed his full five
minutes.
Atkinson suhsided with a parting shot of
II hope you won't"
DR.. Bllmer then finished his discussion OF
tine proper functions of the press. The
Business Committee reported back memo
rial touching on the closing of the Worlds
Columbian Exposition on Sunday, und 8
committee Was appointed to prepare an AZ
propriate expression of the Judgment of the
conference. Fraternal delegates from othe
denominations were received tu-night.
A Delawarian has contracted to furnish
! 100 tuuS of cat tails to firm in st. Louis,