Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1896-04-04

be an iNcdicuiaOte advantage II thoso pro
posing a newspaper life had an institution
to which they might go to learn the qualif-
cations. the responsibilities. the trials, the
temptations. the dangers. the magnificent
opportunities of newspar, r life. Let there
be a lectureship in which there shall appear
the leading editors Of the United States
telling the story of their struggles, their
victories. their mistakes. how they worked
and what they found out to be the best
way o. working. There will be strong
men who will climb up without u aid
into editorial power and efficiency. So do
men climb up to success in other branches
b. sheer grit. But il wewant learned insti-
tu.ions TO make lawyers and artists and doc
tors and ministers, We much more need
learned institutions to make editors, VIII
occupy a position Of Influence a hundredfold
greater / do not put the truth too strongly
when L say the most potent influence for,
good on earth is q good editor and the most
potent influence for evil is a bad one. The
best way to re-enforce and Improve the news
papers is to euiow editorial professorates.
When will Princeton or Harvard or Yale or
Rochester lead the way?
Another blessing of the newspaper is the
foundation it lays for accurate history otthe
time IN which we live. We for the most part
hlindiy guess about the ages that antedate
the newspaper and are dependent upon the
prejudlces Of this Or that historian. But
after a hundred or two years whar a splen-
did opportunity the historian will have to
teach the people the lesson of this day. Our
Bancrofts got from the early newspapers OF
this country. from the Boston Newsletter.
the New York Gazette, and The American
Rag Bag. and Royal Gazstteer and 1ndepen-
dent Chronicle, and Massachusetts Spy, and
The Philadelphia Aurora, account OF Perry's
victory. and Hamiiton's duel, and Wash
ington's death. and Boston massacre.
and tho anp~aE=ixa foraiyp fay IN lIIynripS
which turned Boston harhor into a teapot,
and Paul Revere's midnight ride. and Rhode
Island rebellion. and South Carolina multi
f~ication. EBut what a field for the chronicier
Of the great future when he opens the files OF
a hundred standard American newspapers,
giving the minutia of all things occurring I'M
der the social. political. ecclesiastical. in
ternational headings. Five hundred years
from now. if the world lasts SO long. the
student looking for stirring. decisive history
will pass by the misty corridors OF Other CEN
turtles and say to the libraries: Find me
the volumes that give the century in which
the American Presidents were asSassinated.
the Civil War enacted and the cotton gin. the
steam locomotive and telegraph and electric
pen and telephone and cylinder presses We're
invented"
Once more I remark that a good news
paper is a blessing AS an evangelStic i'll
t1uence. You know there is Il great change
in our day taking place. All the secular
newspapers Of the dav-for | am not speak
ing now of the religious newspapers7all the
secular newspapers of the dav discyss all the
questions of God, e~ternityand the dead. and
all the questions Of the past, present and
future. There is not a single doctrine OF
theology but has been discussed in the last
ten years by the secular newspapers Of the
country. They gather up all the news Of all
the earth bearing on religious subjects, and
<ln,, %lo-, q az Va - vr5 ohro,I ,roSn
The Christian newspaper will be the right
wing of the apocalyptic angel. The cylinder Of
the Christianized printing press will, be the
front wheel Of the Lords chariot. | a
the music of this day. and | 90 not mark it
diminuendo-I mark it crescendo. A pas
tor on a Sabbath breaches to n few hundred.
or II few thousand people. and on Monday.
or during the week. the printing press will
take the sane sermon and preach it to mill
ions Of people. God speed the printing
press. God save the printing press! God
Christianize the printing press.
When l see the printing press standing
with the electric telegraph on the one side
gathering the material. and the lightning
express train on the other side waiting for
the tons Of folded sheets of newspaper, l pro-
! Eounce it the nightiest force in our civiliza-
ton. 50 I command You to pray for all
those who manage the newspapers of the
land. for all typesetters, for all reporters. for
all editors. for all publishers, that. sitting
| or Standing in positions of such great infiu-
ence. they may give all that influence for
God and the betterment Of the human race.
An aged woman making her living by
knitting. unwound the yarn from the
ball until she found in the centre Of the
ball there was an old piece Of newspaper.
She opened it and read an advertisement
which announced that she had become
heiress TO a large property. and that frag-
ment Of a newspaper lifted her from pau
| perism to %af1uence. And l do not know but
as the thread of tirne unroils and unwinds a
little further through the silent yet speaking
newspaper may be found the vast inheri-
tance of the worlds redemption.
Jesus shall reign wnere'e r the sun
Does his successive journeys run.
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore
|. Till suns Shall rise and set no more.