The record-union., 1892-08-01
AN OLD DISCUSSION.

AN OLD DISCUSSION.
Two broadly intelligent men Of clerical
cloth have developed courage of ex-
preston upon the Sunday newspaper
question, which is agitating the Presby-
terrain Ministerial Union at San Fran
cisco. Chaplain Blake gave testimony of
the influence of the Sunday paper in talk
ing up attention that would otherwise be
devoted viciously He insisted at late
meeting of the union that in the early
days when there was no Sunday paper in
San Francisco open gambling was gen
eral. He consulted with the keepers of
gaming-houses, and they declared that if
they had Sunday papers to take up their
attention gambling on that day would
cease. The result was a conference of
ministers, and at their request the issu-
ancc of Sunday paper. The gamesters
kept their word and closed their houses
to read.
Whatever bearing that statement may
| have upon the question, certainly Chap
lain Blake hit the nail squarely upon the
head when he pointed out that the sun
day newspaper is not the cause of disre-
gard of observance Of Sunday in the
matter of religious forms. A bad paper
on any day is productive of evil and not
more so on Sunday than any other day.
The whole thing hinges. not upon the
date line, but upon the quality of the
journal. The newspaper, as a rule, re-
fleets its environment, and the mere fact
that it is composed on Saturday night
and read on Sunday. instead of Sunday
night to be read on Monday, as all Mon
day morning papers are composed,
neither adds to nor detracts from its
virtues or its vices, or the influence it ex-
ercises.
Rev. Mr.. Smith Of the Ministerial
Union was broad enough to say to the
association that he found no more harm
in reading newspaper on Sunday than
in riding In a street car on that day. "As
to the morality of the thug he would say
that people don't spend their time exclu-
sively III spiritual reading. He did not
believe the sacredness of the Sabbath was
violated by reading the Sunday news
paper any more than by reading book
on astronomy, travels or a story book"
A member asked the speaker why it
would not be better to read religious
papers on Sunday, and the reply was that
some Of them are open to the same obec-
tons as are the secular papers. But the
true reply would have been, that the
Sunday newspaper, properly conserved,
and by good people encouraged in right
lines, is infinitely preferable to much
other literature easily obtainable, and
could be made greatly helpful. Indeed,
while there is much that is thin, trashy,
and some things vicious in the Sunday
paper as it is, on the whole it is greatly
better than the literature of the average
Sunday news stand against which the
pulpit hurls no special thunderbolts: it
is infinitely preferable to the flash papers.
police gazettes and criminal journals that
are Haunted in the face of decency week
day and Sunday, and yet incite minis
terial unions to no special effort to abate
the nuisance which is doing vastly more
to wreck youth and corrupt morals than
any other literature.
Again, the Sunday daily newspaper is
hundred-fold better and less harmful
than seven out of ten of the weekly sheets
issued on Saturday, and taken home for
digestion on Sunday. Any one of this
latter class, against which we hear of no
pulpit illumination, may well engage the
attention of the clergy in an analysis of
the infinite variety of its baleful influ-
ences. The truth is that this great con-
Germ by clergymen about daily news
papers dated on Sunday, and the failure
10 labor for the elimination of the vicious
Sunday paper dated on Saturday. is
case Of straining at gnat.