The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-10-13

council opened with Bishop j. w. Hood,
OF the African M. T.. Zion Church,
Fayetteville. N. c., in the chair. Bishop
Gaines, of the African II. e. Church,
delivered prayer and Rev. DIR. G. II.
Phillips, of the African NJ. e. Church
OF Washington, read the Scriptures.
So that the opening services of the
great council were conducted by three
colored men.
The topic for the morning session
was 1.-The Church and Her Agencies,
and Bishop r. S. Foster, of Massa-
chusetts, proceeded to address the
council on 1.-The Responsibilities and
Qualifications of the Preacher
During recess the delegates were re-
ceived at the White House by President
Harrison. Bishop Hurst acted as master
of ceremonies and introduced individ-
nally to the President each of tho dele
gates, nearly all of whom were accom-
panied by members of their families.
The President was assisted In receiving
tho visitors by Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Par
kor and Mrs. Dimmicx. The reception
lasted more than an hour. The Marine
Band, under Prof. Soussa. was present
and enlivened tho occasion with pro-
gramme of music.
When tho. council reassembled Rev.
w. Il. Myers, of the United Methodist
Church, Rochdale, England, took the
chair. The topic for discussion was
Tho Religious Press and the Religious
Uses of the Secular Press" Rev. Hugh
Price Hughes, OF London, delivered tho
essay. The discussion of this subject
evolved good deal Of heat and sharp
talk. DIR. Hughes and most OF the
speakers held ttat the church had not
yet formed sufficiently high estimate
OF tho influence Of the religious press
and had not used it to it's full capacitv
for good.
Rev. e. e. Hoss. of Nashville, Tenn,
dealt with religious newspapers, to
which he said Methodism had mover
been deaf. lie named u number of dis
tinguished Methodists who had been
connected with religious newspapers
within his own experience. Religious
newspapers had not kept pace with Tho
secular press in development, though
Improvement had been great. The re-
ligious newspaper should be under con-
troll of the church. Every argument
brough t. forward to show that the church
should put it's hands upon tho pulpit
would apply with equal forco to show
that it should put its hand upon the
press. Religious papers should have an
expert corps of assistants to the chief
editor. Attention should be given to
advertising columns; there had been
much SHINING, but there was not so much
now, although he did see an advertise
ment of quack medicine, consumption
cure, opposite an unctious article upon
helps TO higher life. Laughter
Rev. DR. RuCxlnv nj Nau, Vo,l,
editor of the Christian Advocate. told
of the trials of the editor OF the re-
ligious paper and of necessity for ac-
curacy. He believed that the weekly re-
ligious paper had greater influence in
manufacturing public opinion than the
daily. Greedy had attached superior
Importance to the weekly. Secular
press could not be trusted in matters
religious, said DR.. Buckley, and cited two
or three comica1 blunders made in cur
rent reports upon religious events put-
lished by two great American dailies.
He was severe in his criticism upon the
secular press for light topics, laughing
at suicides and publishing detailed re-
ports of scandalous divorce cases.
Heat came in when Mr.. Atkinson, an
English member of parliament, came
into the debate. He thought as all DO.
litical parties had their organs the re-
ligious press should take no account of
political matters. When he had con-
nected himself with religious paper he
had no notion of seeking its aid politi-
cally. In his opinion tho religious pa
pers had higher missions than politics.
Man could do the thing he could do best.
He was proud of DR.. Hughes as q
preacher, but he was not and never
should be proud of him as an editor.
DR.. Hughes was invited to como down
from his high place MS preacher to aid
decrepit party. When he got down
there he had delivered himself of sen.
tence that was almost as near BIAS
phemy as religious man could have
come. The gavel fell ut this point, but
Atkinson called out, at was merely
question as to how Jesus Christ would
| speak on the Irish question"
| There was some confusion after this
and struggle for recognition, which
was ended by giving the floor to Rev DR..
Lloyd Jones, of Wales. who had not
sought 1t, but consented to make few
remarks. He hardly knew what was
meant by the phrase religious press"
He hoped UNCONVENTIONAL literature
should not ever appear in secular news
papers whose mission in life seemed to
be that of personal, individual buffers.
Such papers wero not religious papers
and should not be regarded as SUCH
DIR. Geo. Douglass, Of Montreal. ex-
pressed his belief in Hugh Price
Hughes. He pointed to work of VIM.
Stead. in the Pail Mall Gazette, as an
evidence of how the secular press should
be used in the Lords work. Rev. DIR.
Balmer, of England, had vivid recol-
lection OF early days when his father